On Tuesday of last week, President Joe Biden signed a substantial spending bill that will provide $13.6 billion of financial support to Ukraine’s military and humanitarian aid as it resists and fights Russia’s invasion.
Originally, the money allotted for the legislation sat at $10 billion, but this number increased to the final amount during last-minute negotiations. This financial aid is linked to an appropriations law that set spending limits for the federal government for the fiscal year 2022, which began in October.
How the Ukraine aid will be spent
Military aid
According to a summary of the bill released by the House of Appropriations Committee, around half the aid package ($6.5 billion) will be allocated to the US Department of Defense to help it send defense equipment to Ukraine and deploy troops to the affected regions.
Humanitarian aid
Over $4 billion will be used to support refugees fleeing Ukraine and displaced people within Ukraine. It will also provide emergency food assistance, health care, and urgent support for the most vulnerable communities within the region.
Economic aid
Almost $1.8 billion will be used to respond to Ukraine’s economic needs. This means also helping neighboring countries with things such as cybersecurity and energy.
The law also allots $25 million for the US Agency for Global Media, an independent federal agency that will combat disinformation in news broadcasts abroad, while another $120 million will be used to support local Ukraine activists and journalists.
