Biden admin announces additional $425 MILLION military package to Ukraine

On Thursday, Biden's Department of Defense announced that the United States will send an additional $425 million military aid package to Ukraine which will include munitions and anti-tank weapons.

The deal will supply Ukraine with $300 million for long-term funding to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses. The funding will come from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is a contract relationship with defense companies to build or modify major weapons systems, according to the Associated Press.

Furthermore, Ukraine will receive $125 million worth of US military equipment that will be supplied from existing US stockpiles through the presidential drawdown authority, the 50th package to do such since August 2021. The weapons will include anti-tank missiles, artillery rounds, demolition tools, cold weather gear, and munitions for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

The United States has been among the most active supporters of Ukraine's fight against Russia. To date, over $110 billion has been sent to fund the war effort, with no end date in sight. This new aid package comes on the heels of Congress reaching an agreement on the 45-day stopgap resolution in September which stated that the US would not supply Ukraine with additional funds in order to prevent a government shutdown. 

In addition to the Biden administration supplying additional military aid to Ukraine, the House of Representatives passed a standalone bill on Thursday providing $14.3 billion to Israel in aid as the nation continues its war against Hamas terrorists. Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson said the funding for Israel will come from budget cuts.

However, the bill will likely be dead on arrival when it lands in the Democrat-controlled Senate because it doesn't include Ukraine funding.