By AAMER MADHANI and SEUNG MIN KIM (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden signed the law on Wednesday for $95 billion in war aid that includes support for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. It also includes a requirement for the social media app TikTok to be sold or banned in the U.S.
The announcement marks the end of a tough fight with Republicans in Congress over providing needed assistance for Ukraine.
Biden said at the White House that “We rose to the moment, we came together, and we got it done. Now we need to move fast, and we are.”
However, the delay in funding has caused significant harm to Biden's efforts to aid Ukraine against Russia's invasion since August.
Biden also approved sending $1 billion in military support to Ukraine and said it would start arriving in the “next few hours” — the first part of about $61 billion allocated for Ukraine. The package includes air defense capabilities, artillery rounds, armored vehicles, and other weapons to strengthen Ukrainian forces.
But it's uncertain if Ukraine can make enough progress to maintain U.S. political support after months of losses and damage to its infrastructure.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, “It’s not going in the Ukrainians’ favor in the Donbas, certainly not elsewhere in the country. Mr. Putin thinks he can play for time. So we’ve got to try to make up some of that time.”
The bill also includes a provision requiring TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app within nine months or face a ban in the U.S. The president can allow a 90-day extension, making the timeline one year, if there's a clear plan and “significant progress” in selling the app.
Both the administration and lawmakers view TikTok as a growing national security concern.
TikTok plans to challenge the action by Congress, saying it's unconstitutional.
The company stated, “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail.”
Biden emphasized that the bill provides about $1 billion in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, affected by the Israel-Hamas war continues.
Biden stated that Israel must ensure the humanitarian aid for Palestinians in bill reaches Gaza “without delay.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson postponed a vote on the extra financial help for months because some members of his party’s extreme right wing, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, threatened to oust him if he allowed a vote to send more assistance to Ukraine. Those threats continue. move to oust him if he allowed a vote to send more assistance to Ukraine. Those threats persist.
Former President Donald Trump, the probable 2024 presidential GOP nominee, has expressed dissatisfaction that European allies haven't done enough for Ukraine. While he stopped short of supporting the extra funding package, his tone has changed recently, acknowledging that Ukraine’s survival is important to the United States.
Indeed, many European leaders have long been worried that a second Trump presidency would mean reduced U.S. support for Ukraine and for the NATO military alliance. The European anxiety was heightened in February when Trump in a campaign speech warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that don’t meet defense spending goals if he returns to the White House.
It was a key moment in the debate over Ukraine spending. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg quickly called out Trump for putting “American and European soldiers at increased risk.” Biden days later called Trump’s comments “dangerous” and “un-American” and accused Trump of playing into Putin’s hands.
But in reality, the White House maneuvering to win additional funding for Ukraine started months earlier.
Biden, the day after returning from a whirlwind trip to Tel Aviv following Hamas militants’ stunning Oct. 7 attack on Israel, used a rare prime time address to make his pitch for the supplemental funding.
At the time, the House was in chaos because the Republican majority had been unable to select a speaker to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who had been ousted more than two weeks earlier. McCarthy’s reckoning with the GOP’s far right came after he agreed earlier in the year to allow federal spending levels that many in his right flank disagreed with and wanted undone.
Far-right Republicans have also adamantly opposed sending more money for Ukraine, with the war appearing to have no end in sight. Biden in August requested more than $20 billion to keep aid flowing into Ukraine, but the money was stripped out of a must-pass spending bill even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington to make a personal plea for continued U.S. backing.
By late October, Republicans finally settled on Johnson, a low-profile Louisiana Republican whose thinking on Ukraine was opaque, to serve as the next speaker. Biden during his congratulatory call with Johnson urged him to quickly pass Ukraine aid and began a months-long, largely behind-the-scenes effort to bring the matter to a vote.
In private conversations with Johnson, Biden and White House officials leaned into the stakes for Europe if Ukraine were to fall to Russia. Five days after Johnson was formally elected speaker, national security adviser Jake Sullivan outlined to him the administration’s strategy on Ukraine and assured him that accountability measures were in place in Ukraine to track where the aid was going — an effort to address a common complaint from conservatives.
Under direct orders from Biden, White House officials also refrained from directly criticizing Johnson over the delayed aid.
According to a senior administration official, Johnson appeared to be straightforward and trustworthy during the negotiations with the White House. Earlier in his term, Biden had successfully found common ground with Republicans to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure deal and legislation to support the U.S. semiconductor industry, as well as expand federal health care services for veterans affected by toxic smoke. Biden also knew there was significant Republican support for further Ukraine funding. a $1 trillion infrastructure deal, legislation to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, and an expansion of federal health care services for veterans exposed to toxic smoke from burn pits. And he knew there was plenty of Republican support for further Ukraine funding.
Biden commended Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stating that ultimately they “stepped up and did the right thing.”
Biden stated, “This moment will be remembered in history. Despite the talk of dysfunction in Washington, over the past three years, we have consistently come together on critical issues.”
During tense moments in the negotiations, Biden encouraged his aides to “keep talking, keep working,” according to the anonymous official.
As a result, in regular meetings led by White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, the president’s top aides would brainstorm ways to better present the case for Ukraine's dire situation in the absence of aid.
Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president, and legislative affairs director Shuwanza Goff maintained regular communication with Johnson. Goff and Johnson’s senior staff also had frequent discussions as a deal came into focus.
The White House also aimed to accommodate Johnson and his various requests. For example, at Johnson’s request, administration officials briefed Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., both of whom were persistent opponents of Johnson.
Simultaneously, senior Biden officials regularly updated McConnell and key Republican committee leaders, including Reps. Michael McCaul and Mike Turner.
Publicly, the administration adopted a strategy of downplaying intelligence that showed Russia’s efforts to strengthen its ties with U.S. adversaries China, North Korea, and Iran, in order to fortify Moscow’s defense industrial complex and circumvent U.S. and European sanctions.
For instance, U.S. officials recently presented intelligence findings indicating increased sales from China to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics, and other technology, which Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft, and other weaponry. Previously, the White House disclosed intelligence showing that Russia has obtained ballistic missiles from China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics, and other technology, which Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft, and other weaponry. Earlier, the White House publicized intelligence that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and has acquired attack drones from Iran.
The $61 billion can help triage Ukrainian forces, but Kyiv will need much more for a fight that could last years, military experts say.
According to Bradley Bowman, a defense strategy and policy analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, realistic goals for the months ahead for Ukraine — and its allies — include averting the loss of major cities, slowing Russia’s momentum, and providing additional weaponry to Kyiv that could enable them to go on the offensive in 2025.
"In our fast-paced culture, we often desire instant outcomes," Bowman commented. "But sometimes things are difficult and you can't achieve immediate results. I believe Ukrainian success is not assured, but Russian success is certain if we cease backing Ukraine."
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