Biden says first weapons will be sent to Ukraine in HOURS as he signs bill sending $95 billion in aid to Kyiv, Israel and Taiwan and forcing TikTok to be banned if Chinese owner doesn’t sell
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a $95.3 billion foreign aid package that sends desperately needed weapons to Ukraine and includes a ban on TikTok if its parent company does not divest its Chinese ownership within a year.
“This is a good day for America. It’s a good day Europe,” Biden said. “It’s going to make America safer. It will make the world a safer place.’
The bill includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine; $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region, especially Taiwan. It also includes sanctions against Iranian and Russian officials.
“I’ll make sure the shipment starts right away,” Biden said of aid to Ukraine. “In the next few hours, literally, a few hours.”
President Joe Biden argued that the foreign aid bill will keep America safer
Its passage capped a fraught and tense six months to get the bill into law. Speaker Mike Johnson assembled a bipartisan coalition to pass the legislation as several members of his conservative wing opposed it.
Biden’s Republican rival for president, Donald Trump, spoke out against the relief package, setting off a confrontation between Johnson and Trump’s loyal MAGA supporters on Capitol Hill.
In his remarks, Biden blasted “MAGA Republicans” for blocking aid when Ukraine ran out of ammunition.
“At the end of the day, most of us, whether we are Democrats, Republicans or independents, believe that America should stand up for what we think is right,” he said.
‘We are not running away from our allies. We stand with them, we don’t let tyrants win, we stand against them. We don’t really see how global events are unfolding. We shape them. That’s what it means to be the indispensable nation. That’s what it means to be the world’s superpower and the world’s leading democracy.”
“Some of our MAGA Republicans reject that view, but this vote makes it clear: There is a bipartisan consensus for that kind of American leadership. That is exactly what we continue to deliver.’
House Democrats came to Johnson’s aid on Saturday evening to get the bill across the finish line. The Senate passed it on Tuesday.
‘It was a difficult process. It should have been easier and it should have gotten there faster, but at the end of the day, we’re doing what America always does. We got to the point where we came together and we got it done,” Biden said.
It is the first aid package for Ukraine in over a year.
The administration is preparing a massive $1 billion package of military weapons — including long-range missiles, munitions, drones and vehicles — to send to Ukraine now that Congress has approved the funding.
“Getting this done is one of the Senate’s greatest achievements in years, perhaps decades,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Today the Senate is sending a unified message to the entire world,” he noted. “America will always defend democracy in times of need.”
Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, who is trying to steer the Republican Party away from its isolationist trend, celebrated the bill’s passage and blamed anti-Ukrainian sentiment on Tucker Carlson “who, in my opinion, ended up where he had all along must be. interviewing Vladimir Putin,” he said.
McConnell said Carlson’s “huge audience” convinced “a lot of regular Republicans” that helping Ukraine defend itself against Russia is not important.
The Senate measure would also force TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the social media site or face a ban.
TikTok has a year to separate itself from it China – or else be banned in the US
But fans of TikTok are watching with acute concern as to how the legislation could lead to their favorite video-sharing platform being banned.
The package gives billions to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and could potentially ban TikTok
TikTok has suggested that the legislation amounts to a “total ban in the United States,” suggesting that ByteDance is not interested in selling.
“It’s unfortunate that the House of Representatives is using the cover of important foreign and humanitarian aid to push through yet another prohibition bill that would trample the freedom of speech of 170 million Americans, destroy seven million businesses, and shut down a platform that contributes annually $24 billion will go into the US economy,” a TikTok spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Saturday.
Tying the measure to foreign aid forced the Senate to vote on it after Schumer struggled to put the measure on the floor.
The Israeli portion of the bill will provide $4 billion to supplement Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense system and billions more for weapons systems, artillery and ammunition, as well as another $2.4 billion for U.S. operations in the region.
Nine billion dollars of that bill will go to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in Gaza.
“I will always ensure that Israel gets what it needs to defend itself against Iran,” Biden said.
He also pointed to aid to Gaza.
“Israel must ensure that all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay,” he said. “And everything we do is guided by the ultimate goal: bringing these hostages home and securing a ceasefire.”
Democrats remain divided over Biden’s Israel strategy and support for Palestine, but most of the president’s party supported the legislation.
This photo, taken from Israel’s southern border with the Gaza Strip, shows the devastation in the Palestinian territory
The breakdown of what’s in the bill:
$61 billion for Ukraine
About $23 billion would be used to replenish U.S. weapons, supplies and facilities, and more than $11 billion would fund current U.S. military operations in the region.
Nearly $14 billion in the bill would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons systems and other defense equipment.
The first tranche of aid – worth around $1 billion – is expected to reach Kiev within days.
$26 billion for Israel
The package would provide $26.4 billion in aid to Israel, including $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems and $1.2 billion for the Iron Beam defense system.
It also includes $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance – including emergency food, shelter and basic services – to populations in crisis.
$8 billion for the Indo-Pacific
The package includes $8.1 billion to counter Chinese actions in the Indo-Pacific region.
It includes $3.3 billion for submarine infrastructure development, $2 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan and $1.9 billion to supplement defense items and services to Taiwan and regional partners.
Possible TikTok ban
The legislation outlines a nine-month window for the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the social media company.
If it misses the deadline, TikTok will be banned from US app stores.
Sanctions against Iran and Russia
The bill imposes sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil.
It also restricts the export of US-origin goods and technology to Iran.