Spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi warns that “Putin desperately accelerates his brutality”
Less than two weeks ago, Joe Biden asked Congress to act urgently to grant him an additional $33 billion to continue fueling Ukraine’s resistance, and this Wednesday the House of Representatives approved nearly $40,000, substantially more than he had requested.
The president of the Appropriations Committee, Rosa DeLauro, had introduced the bill on Tuesday afternoon with the warning that the chamber has a “moral obligation” to help Ukraine “protect democracy in the world.” Convinced that “as Putin desperately accelerates his brutality in Ukraine, time is of the essence,” Congressional Speaker Nancy Pelosi put it to a vote that same night. All Democrats and 149 Republicans voted in favor, with only 57 against. An exceptional display of diligence and bipartisan spirit that is rarely seen in these times of political indifference.
The extraordinary gesture is limited to Ukraine. Even the 57 Republicans who voted against took it upon themselves to show their solidarity. “I oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine but we can’t help Ukraine by giving it money we don’t have,” Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs said on Twitter. The law, which still has to go through the Senate, where Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has promised speed, adds 3.9 billion to the investment in weapons for “intelligence and support missions”, as well as two thousand to advise the Ukrainian nuclear agency and more than 5,000 million to face the nutritional deficiencies that the conflict brings. Another 900 million will go to assist the refugees upon arrival.
With this “monumental financial package,” Pelosi acknowledged, the White House hopes to have enough funds to continue assisting Ukraine until September, which is when the fiscal year for the US government ends. In addition to paying for more weapons, “such such as artillery, armored vehicles and ammunition,” White House spokeswoman Jan Psaki specified in a statement. The item will serve to replenish US military arsenals, from which weapons are coming directly to speed up their shipment.
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