The US passes the aid budget: How will the US$95.3 billion allocated to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan be allocated? | Past 24 hours | UDn Global

The US passes the aid budget: How will the US$95.3 billion allocated to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan be allocated?

On the 23rd, the U.S. Senate finally passed the aid budget bill that has been debated for more than half a year. A total of US$95.3 billion will be used to support Ukraine’s urgently needed ammunition and weapons, strengthen Israel’s missile defense system, and strengthen Taiwan’s submarine development in the Indo-Pacific region. The budget bill has been stalled since last fall. The Republican Party has continued to delay the budget because it believes that border security issues are a higher priority. The tortuous review process even caused the U.S. government to face a shutdown crisis and damaged former House Speaker McCarthy. The passage of the aid budget now can be said to have finally added support to Ukraine at the critical moment of the Ukraine-Russia war, and it is also crucial to the trustworthiness of the United States in the eyes of its allies.

After the House of Representatives passed the aid budget bill that had been delayed for several months on the 20th, the Senate also passed it on the 23rd with a vote of 79 in favor to 18 against, and it has now been sent to US President Joe Biden. President Biden also stated that he will sign it into effect as soon as possible on the 24th. “The needs are urgent: Ukraine facing Russia’s ruthless bombing; Israel facing an unprecedented attack by Iran; refugees around the world affected by conflict and natural disasters, including in Gaza, Sudan and Haiti; and our communities in the Indo-Pacific,” Biden said. Allies in the region also seek security and stability.”

▌$60 billion in aid to Ukraine

According to the Wall Street Journal, the new budget provides $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, of which $20.5 billion (about one-third) will be allocated to the US military European Command (EUCOM). In addition, approximately 13.4 billion yuan will be provided for U.S. ammunition, rocket launchers and other arms, and the remainder will be used to upgrade defense technology and equipment. Commander of U.S. European Command Christopher Cavoli gave a strong warning to Congress on April 11 that the Ukrainian-Russian war had reached a decisive moment, and emphasized that Russia would enjoy an absolute advantage of 10 to 1 in ammunition within a few weeks, warning Congress Without military assistance, Ukraine’s artillery shells and anti-aircraft ammunition will be exhausted.

“The importance of this moment cannot be overstated,” Cavalli said at the time.

It is worth noting that the bill also allocates more than 900 million yuan in economic aid to Ukraine, but the name is changed from a subsidy to a “forgivable loan”, which means that if certain conditions are met, the creditor does not need to repay it payment. This move effectively alleviated the dissatisfaction of some Republican lawmakers in exchange for supporting the bill. In addition, the United States also agreed to transfer all 5 billion Russian assets it had detained to Ukraine.

Before the aid budget was passed, the cost of U.S. aid to Ukraine in the Ukraine-Russia war had reached $113 billion. Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware said: “After fierce debates across the country and in Congress, this bill sends a strong message that we still want to be ‘America’ and we still want to be a worthy nation. An ally of trust and dependence.”

▌$26.4 billion in aid to Israel

Of the $26.4 billion given to Israel, about 4 billion will be spent on upgrading Israel’s missile defense systems “Iron Dome” and “David’s Sling”, and up to 12 billion will be spent on the latest ” The Iron Beam laser air defense system can destroy drones with powerful laser light; nearly 8 billion yuan was spent on purchasing ammunition and military subsidies, with no strings attached.

As for many reports mentioning that a budget of 9 billion yuan will be used for humanitarian relief in the Gaza corridor, this budget is actually included under the heading of humanitarian relief in conflict areas around the world, not just Gaza. On the other hand, the bill still prohibits the United States from funding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), because Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the Hamas attack on October 7 last year. UNRWA is one of the largest humanitarian relief organizations in Gaza. Related accusations have caused UNRWA to lose at least half of its funding. Although Canada, Sweden and Japan all resumed funding in March, the United States still insists that it will not be able to provide funding until March 2025.

▌Assisting Taiwan, including “assisting allies in the Indo-Pacific region and confronting China”

The aid provided to Taiwan is packaged under the heading of “assisting allies in the Indo-Pacific region and countering China.” The total cost is 8.12 billion US dollars, of which at least 3.3 billion will be used for Taiwan’s submarine manufacturing base, and another will be provided including Countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, will spend US$2 billion in “Foreign Military Financing” (FMF) funds, and will allocate another US$1.9 billion in military aid to Taiwan, including for the US Department of Defense to replenish Taiwan’s armaments, support military services to Taiwan, and educate and training, etc.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its gratitude on the 24th, approving that the U.S. Congress has taken concrete legislative actions to implement its “rock-solid” security commitment to Taiwan. It also emphasized that this “Indo-Pacific Security Supplementary Appropriation Act” was finally approved by 385 votes and 34 votes. The overwhelming vote against the bill shows that the commitment to Taiwan has become a firm and clear consensus between the two parties in the United States.

▌The budget has been stuck for half a year. How do the Democrats and Republicans negotiate a compromise?

The budget has been proposed by the Biden administration since October 2023, but it has been stalled in the House of Representatives so far. The Republicans in the majority party—especially the far-right wing of the party—have always held different opinions on the “priority” of the budget, believing that the United States Priority should be given to domestic issues, such as border security and the national debt burden, rather than spending money on aid to foreign allies.

What’s more, the foreign aid budget to Ukraine was originally included in the US government’s fiscal year 2024 budget, but it was blocked by Republican opposition in the House of Representatives. As a result, the US government even faced a “shutdown crisis” without an operating budget. It was not until the evening of September 30, the expiration date of the 2023 fiscal year, that the then Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy (Kevin McCarthy) and Democratic congressmen sought a cooperation plan in exchange for the passage of the interim budget. Only then did they narrowly escape the government shutdown crisis, but the Ukraine aid budget It was removed from the government’s budget – and later, McCarthy was ousted from office by his own party lawmakers. (Extended reading: “The U.S. Congress passed the interim budget: the government escaped the shutdown crisis, but aid funds to Ukraine were eliminated”)

The Biden administration has no choice but to propose a separate foreign aid plan. The new aid budget will cover aid to Ukraine, support for Israel, and plans for the Indo-Pacific region (mainly Taiwan). However, except for aid to Ukraine, it failed to win the majority of Republicans. In addition to their support, there are about 20 far-right Republican congressmen who oppose every part of the aid budget – including aid to Israel and Taiwan, which the Republican Party has traditionally supported. In addition, dozens of Democratic congressmen opposed aid to Israel because they demanded an end to the bombing of Gaza.

Mike Johnson, the new Speaker who succeeded McCarthy, also faced pressure and tests within the party during the budget review process. Gregory Meeks, the Democratic leader of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described the passage of the budget as a “historic moment.” He bluntly said: “When you live in history, like we are today, you don’t understand us. The importance of the vote in the House and the impact it will have.”

The aid budget has a wide range of implications. During the several months of the blockade, Ukrainian President Zelensky, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and others visited the U.S. Congress to call for the speedy passage of the aid bill. In particular, Ukraine has made repeated appeals. In addition, military expenditures in the Ukrainian battlefield are tight due to the lack of new U.S. aid funds. After the Russian army occupied Avdiivka, the gateway town into and out of eastern Ukraine in February 2024, the U.S. White House even pointed out that it was due to Congress’s inaction that Ukraine The army did not have enough resources to resist the Russian army, so it had to withdraw its troops and lose Avdievka. At that time, Biden proposed a guarantee of US$60 billion in military dollars to Zelensky over the phone. (Extended reading: “Russian troops capture Afdiivka, the gateway to eastern Ukraine: Ukrainian troops retreat, Biden pledges to provide $60 billion in aid”)

Republicans who opposed the aid package echoed the slogan “America First” shouted by Trump, who is vying to be the next U.S. president. The aid package was rejected by the Freedom Caucus, a group of far-right Republican congressmen. Ridiculed as “America Last” (echoing America First); Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is friendly to Trump, also proposed an amendment during the review of the aid bill to zero out the aid funds. However, Rejected. In addition, Greene and other far-right Republican congressmen proposed a “Motion to vacate” to vacate the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives – a treatment that McCarthy had suffered before he was dismissed.

In exchange for the passage of the aid bill, some of the priorities requested by the Republican Party (which the Democratic Party recognized or at least were willing to accept) were also passed on the same day, such as the continued strengthening of economic sanctions on Russia and Iran; on the 23rd, the Senate also simultaneously passed TikTok’s compulsory In the sale case, the bill clearly stipulates that if Tiktok still wants to operate in the United States, parent company ByteDance must sell Tiktok within 270 days.