Biden signs spending bill that includes $13.6 billion in Ukraine aid
President Biden has signed a $1.5 trillion spending bill that funds the government through September and includes $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine, as it fights off Russia's invasion.
The president signed the legislation Tuesday, after the Senate passed it late Thursday night by a 68-31 margin. The financial assistance to Ukraine, which includes several billion dollars in humanitarian assistance, garnered bipartisan support as Congress urged Biden to take more aggressive steps against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The $1.5 trillion bill to fund the government for the current year that runs through September 30 is being enacted five months behind schedule.
"Putin's aggression against Ukraine has united people all across America, united our two parties in Congress, and united the freedom loving world," Biden said Tuesday.
Roughly half the $13.6 billion would arm Ukraine and cover the Pentagon's costs for sending U.S. troops to other Eastern European nations that might see the war spill past their borders. Much of the rest is for humanitarian and economic assistance, strengthening regional allies' defenses and protecting their energy supplies and cybersecurity needs.
The $1.5 trillion government spending bill includes a nearly 7% increase for domestic initiatives, with increased spending for schools, housing, child care, renewable energy, biomedical research, law enforcement grants to communities and feeding programs. It also directs money to minority communities and historically black colleges, renews efforts aimed at preventing domestic violence against women and requires infrastructure operators to report serious hacking incidents to federal authorities.
Republicans won an almost 6% boost for defense and prevailed in retaining decades-old restrictions against using federal money to pay for nearly all abortions.
The president signed a continuing resolution Friday to avert a partial government shutdown that would otherwise have occurred at midnight.
Mr. Biden was in Camp David last weekend, monitoring the war in Ukraine.
Friday morning, the president announced the G7 nations and the U.S. would be revoking Russia's favored nation status, allowing them impose tariffs and hampering Russia's trade with much of the world's economy. The U.S. is also blocking Russian imports of seafood, diamonds and vodka. The U.S. has also banned imports of Russian gas and oil.
— Melissa Quinn contributed reporting
Editor's note: This article originally said that President Biden signed the omnibus measure last Friday, but he signed a continuing resolution Friday and the omnibus spending bill on Tuesday. The article has been updated.