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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Here’s what’s in the foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel
By Katie Lobosco, Tami Luhby and Brian Fung, CNN
Updated:
5:47 AM EDT, Wed April 24, 2024
Source: CNN
The Senate passed aTuesday that includes money for Ukraine, Israel
and the Indo-Pacific region.
The House passed the aid package, in the form of four separate bills,
on Saturday – months after the Senate first passed legislation with
aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The new legislation, which will now go to President Joe Biden’s desk
for his signature, also includes a number of House GOP priorities,
including sanctions on Iran, the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign
assets and a measure that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok.
The aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region adds up to
about $95 billion – the same amount that the earlier would have
provided – with an adjustment that $10 billion in Ukraine economic
assistance is in the form of a repayable loan
Here’s what’s included in the foreign aid package, according to
summaries provided by House Republicans:
Nearly $61 billion for Ukraine
The legislation includes a total of nearly $61 billion to assist
Ukraine and others in the region fight Russia – about the same that
was included in the earlier Senate bill.
Of that total, about $23 billion would be used to replenish US weapons,
stockpiles and facilities, and more than $11 billion would fund current
US military operations in the region.
Nearly $14 billion included in the bill would help Ukraine buy advanced
weapons systems and other defense equipment.
More than $26 billion for Israel
The package would provide $26.4 billion to aid Israel, specifying that
the funds are to support “its effort to defend itself against Iran
and its proxies, and to reimburse US military operations in response to
recent attacks,” according to a summary of the legislation.
The funding includes $4 billion for the and David’s Sling missile
defense systems and $1.2 billion for the Iron Beam defense system,
which counters short-range rockets and mortar threats.
It would also provide $4.4 billion to replenish defense items and
services provided to Israel and $3.5 billion for the procurement of
advanced weapons systems and other items through the Foreign Military
Financing Program. Plus, it would provide additional flexibility for
transfers of defense items to Israel from US stockpiles held in other
countries and would prohibit sending funds to the , or UNRWA, which
supports Palestinian refugees and has come under fire after Israel
alleged were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Also included is $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance – including
emergency food, shelter and basic services – to populations suffering
crises.
The earlier Senate bill, by comparison, would have provided $14.1
billion in assistance to Israel, including funds for missile defense
systems and foreign military financing to help Israel reestablish
territorial security and deterrence, and $9.2 billion in humanitarian
aid.
More than $8 billion for Indo-Pacific security
The package includes $8.1 billion to counter China’s actions in the
Indo-Pacific region. It includes $3.3 billion to develop submarine
infrastructure, $2 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan and
other key allies, and $1.9 billion to replenish defense items and
services provided to Taiwan and regional partners.
The earlier Senate bill contained very similar provisions to bolster
security in the region.
Potential TikTok ban
One hot-button provision of the package could lead to a possible
nationwide ban of TikTok, the popular social media app with links to
China.
An earlier version of the TikTok bill in March. By including it in
the aid package, House Republicans hoped to force the Senate to a
quick vote on a measure supporters say is necessary to protect
Americans’ personal data from the Chinese government. Opponents,
including TikTok and a range of civil society groups, argue that the
bill risks violating the First Amendment rights of TikTok’s users.
The legislation passed Tuesday sets out a nine-month timeframe for the
app’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, to sell the social media company. If
it misses the deadline, TikTok would be banned from US app stores. The
proposed time limit is longer than the roughly six months considered
in . And it would give the president the option to extend the deadline
by another 90 days if he determines there’s been progress toward a
sale.
The changes appear aimed at addressing concerns by some senators that
the original six-month deadline may have been too short.
Iran sanctions, Russian assets
The legislation also contains what House Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Michael McCaul calls “the most comprehensive sanctions
against Iran Congress has passed in years.”
It would place sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and
process Iranian oil and on anyone involved in activity covered under
the UN missile embargo on Iran that lapsed last year or in the supply
or sale of Iran’s missiles and drones. It would also further restrict
the export of goods and technology of US origin to Iran.
Plus, the legislation would empower the executive branch to held in the
US to Ukraine to help it fight and rebuild. House Speaker Mike Johnson
has said that he was considering the measure – known as the REPO Act
– as a way to aid Ukraine.
have also been working with G7 allies – which include Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union – to
explore the novel strategy to help Ukraine, which would require
congressional approval. The vast majority of that were frozen by the G7
and the EU are held by the EU, with the US only holding around $5
billion worth, officials told CNN.
In addition, the package would place mandatory sanctions on Hamas,
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian terrorist groups.
This headline and story have been updated with additional information.
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