President Joe Biden signed the massive $40 billion Ukraine aid package while in South Korea on Saturday.
The Senate passed the bill on Thursday – after Biden departed Washington, D.C. for his trip to Asia – with overwhelming support. Just 11 Senate Republicans voted against the bill, which sets aside billions for military and security help as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine. (RELATED: Biden Says Putin Committing ‘Genocide’ In Ukraine)
“I applaud the Congress for sending a clear bipartisan message to the world that the people of the United States stand together with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their democracy and freedom,” Biden said in a statement just after the Senate voted to pass the bill. “The resources that I requested will allow us to send even more weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, replenish our own stockpile, and support U.S. troops stationed on NATO territory.”
With Biden already in South Korea, the bill had to be flown to him for signing. A National Security Council spokesman told CNN that the bill was “carried by someone who was already traveling to the region as part of their official duties.”
The $40 billion Ukraine aid bill is being flown to South Korea for the President’s signature, a National Security Council spokesman confirms to CNN.
The bill is “being carried by someone who was already traveling to the region as part of their official duties,” spokesman says
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“The President does intend to sign the bill while he’s on the road so that he can sign it expeditiously,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Thursday. “The modalities of that are being worked right now so that he can get it and sign it. There won’t be a gap for that very reason.”
The $40 billion aid bill also provides money for things like food, medicine and shelter for Ukrainian citizens. The bill is an increase from the original $33 billion the president requested from Congress in April.
While in South Korea, the president also signed a bill designed to help Americans get more baby formula. The U.S. is currently in the midst of a baby formula shortage, and the bill Biden signed “allows the waiver of certain program requirements in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children due to a supply chain disruption or emergency,” according to the White House.