What’s inside the $95 billion House package focused on aiding Ukraine and Israel
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson has unveiled a long-awaited package of bills that will provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel, replenish U.S. weapons systems and provide humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
The package includes a total of $95.3 billion in spending, matching the total passed by the Senate in mid-February. But there are also a few differences from the Senate bill, aimed at winning over some conservatives in the House of Representatives.
Here’s a look at what’s in the bills Johnson hopes to pass this weekend.
Aid to support Ukraine totals approximately $61 billion. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee said more than a third of that amount would go toward replenishing weapons and ammunition systems for the U.S. military.
The total amount provided to Ukraine for the purchase of weapons from the US is approximately the same as in the House and Senate bills: $13.8 billion.
The main difference between the two packages is that the House bill provides more than $9 billion in economic aid to Ukraine in the form of “forgivable loans.” The Senate bill contained no such reimbursement provision.
The president would have the authority to set the terms of the loan to Ukraine and also have the power to cancel it. Congress could overturn the cancellation, but would have to generate enough votes to override a veto, which is a high bar considering the two chambers are so evenly divided.
While seeking Republican Party support for the package, Johnson noted that former President Donald Trump has endorsed a “loan concept.”
He also noted that the House package includes a requirement for the Biden administration to provide Congress with a plan and strategy for what it wants to accomplish in Ukraine. The plan would be required within 45 days of the bill being signed into law. Republicans in the House of Representatives often complain that they have not yet seen a strategy from Biden to win the war.
According to the bill, the government’s report must be a multi-year plan that defines ‘specific and achievable objectives’. It also requested an estimate of the resources needed to achieve U.S. objectives and a description of the national security consequences if the objectives are not met.
The aid in the legislation to support Israel and provide humanitarian assistance to Gazans amounts to over $26 billion. The amount of money spent on replenishing Israel’s missile defense systems totals about $4 billion in the House and Senate bills. An additional $2.4 billion for current U.S. military operations in the regions is also the same in both bills.
Some conservatives have been critical of aid to Gaza. Ultimately, however, Johnson risked losing critical Democratic support for the package if Republicans had ruled it out. Humanitarian aid amounts to more than $9 billion for Gaza, where millions of Palestinians face famine, lack of clean water and disease outbreaks.
Investments to counter China and ensure strong deterrence in the region amount to approximately $8 billion. The total amount of money and investments in the two accounts are approximately the same, with a quarter of the funds being used to replenish weapons and ammunition systems supplied to Taiwan.