President Biden recently signed a long-sought foreign aid package that provides assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, along with a measure that could lead to a ban on TikTok. The Senate passed the $95 billion package in a bipartisan vote, and the White House confirmed that Biden signed the bill into law before his remarks. The Pentagon plans to send a $1 billion weapons package to Ukraine once the bill is enacted. The aid package faced opposition at various points but ultimately saw wide bipartisan support and passage in both the House and Senate.
The aid package includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine, $26.4 billion for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and $8.1 billion for allies in the Indo-Pacific region. It also features provisions to allow the sale of frozen assets of Russian oligarchs and a measure that could ban TikTok if it is not sold within a year. Although some Republicans initially opposed aid to Ukraine without addressing domestic border security, enough members ultimately supported the aid, leading to its passage without immigration provisions. A bipartisan group of senators attempted to negotiate border security reforms to accompany the aid but faced resistance after former President Trump urged GOP lawmakers to reject the deal.
After the aid package with border security components failed, the Senate passed the assistance on its own. House Speaker Mike Johnson initially blocked the bill from being brought up in the House, insisting that the lower chamber would find its own way forward. Ultimately, the aid package closely resembled what the Senate had approved earlier but included provisions to make it more acceptable to Republicans, such as offsetting Ukraine aid with a partial loan structure and allowing the sale of Russian oligarch’s assets. The TikTok provision, which could lead to a ban of the app, was added to the foreign aid package as a late addition after facing some challenges in the Senate.
The final TikTok provision included in the aid package would force TikTok’s parent company to sell the app within a year, with the deadline coming after the November election. Despite some opposition from young voters and lobbying efforts by TikTok, key opposition ultimately waned, leading to the inclusion of the provision. The app, which is owned by a China-based company, has faced scrutiny from U.S. officials over concerns that China’s government could potentially access users’ data for espionage or manipulation. The passage of the foreign aid package represents a significant step in providing support to Ukraine, Israel, and other allies, while also addressing concerns related to national security and potential threats from foreign entities.
