President Biden on Wednesday signed a $95 billion foreign military aid bill into law and claimed the legislation, which funds the proxy war in Ukraine and Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, is good for “world peace.”
“It’s a good day for America, it’s a good day for Europe, and it’s a good day for world peace, for real. This is consequential,” Biden said.
The legislation breezed through the Senate on Tuesday, passing in a vote of 79-19. It was passed on Saturday as four separate bills in the House, where it also received strong bipartisan support.
Biden thanked Republican leaders for supporting the legislation. “I want to thank everyone in Congress who made it possible, especially the bipartisan leadership: Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson; Leader Jeffries; Leaders Schumer and McConnell. They don’t always agree, but when it matters most, they stepped up and did the right thing,” he said.
Packed into the $95 billion bill is $61 billion to spend on the Ukraine proxy war, $26 billion to support Israel, and $8 billion for military aid for Taiwan and other spending in the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for war with China. It also includes a mechanism that could ban TikTok if its China-based parent company ByteDance doesn’t divest within nine months and gives the federal government the power to steal frozen Russian assets.
Biden claimed that there were reports of Ukrainian soldiers cheering in the trenches of eastern Ukraine when the aid was approved by the House. “This weekend, there are reports — and this is — I find this amazing. There are reports of cheers breaking out of the trenches in eastern Ukraine,” he said.
After Biden signed the bill into law, the Pentagon announced a new $1 billion weapons package for Ukraine. Ukrainian soldiers on the battlefield are facing a bleak situation as they suffer from manpower shortages, and Russian forces continue to make gains. The new US aid isn’t expected to make much of a difference but will ensure the war will continue.
Biden reaffirmed strong support for Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, including over 14,000 children, since October 7. “My commitment to Israel, I want to make clear again, is ironclad. The security of Israel is critical,” he said.
The bill also includes funding for humanitarian aid to Gaza, but aid groups say a ceasefire and full humanitarian relief effort are needed as millions are facing starvation. Biden has refused to call for a ceasefire and continues to back Israel as it threatens to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is packed with over 1 million civilians.
