American taxpayers will provide an additional $300 million for Ukraine’s war effort if a bill passed late Thursday night by the House becomes law.
The bill passed 311-117 after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) stripped the funding from a Pentagon spending bill in favor of a standalone vote.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on September 26, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The $826 billion Pentagon spending bill also passed Thursday night after the Ukraine aid was removed.
Determining how much more, if any, Congress should send to Ukraine — on top of the $113 billion it has already approved — has been among the most significant challenges for Congress as it works to fund the government past the September 30 deadline.
The funds in Thursday’s legislation are intended to purchase weapons and provide training for Ukrainian soldiers.
U.S. President Joe Biden shakes hands with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky while welcoming him to the Oval Office at the White House on September 21, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
A House Republican conference rule adopted at the beginning of the 117th Congress prohibits a bill from being brought to the floor