President Joe Biden has signed a $95 billion national security bill into law — unlocking not just wartime support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance for crises across the world.
Biden’s signature marks the end of a long-languishing battle on Capitol Hill, where for months, Republican lawmakers have stalled the legislation over its support for Ukraine. While the bill is largely tied to military financing, there’s also a carveout for both global humanitarian assistance and Ukrainian economic recovery — and now, some $18.7 billion will be channeled through USAID and the United States Department of State to do that work.
“This legislation will provide the resources we need to respond to a number of historic crises around the world, and in doing so, support our own national security by helping to keep these crises from spiraling further,” said USAID Administrator Samantha Power in a statement Wednesday morning.