Biden signs Ukraine aid, TikTok ban package
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STORY: ”It's a good day for America. It's a good day for Europe. It's a good day for world peace. For real.” U.S. President Joe Biden signed a nearly $100 billion foreign aid package into law Wednesday after months of wrangling with Republicans in Congress. Sixty-one billion dollars of that will go to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia’s more than two-year invasion. "America stands with our friends. We stand up against dictators. We bow to no one to no one, certainly not Vladimir Putin.” Ukranian President Volodymir Zelenskiy said he was grateful to Biden and Congress. Biden said he had already approved an initial $1 billion in weapons supplies for Ukraine and that the flow of these arms would start Wednesday. "I'm making sure the shipments start right away in the next few hours, literally the few hours we're going to begin sending equipment to Ukraine for air defense, munitions, for artillery, for rocket systems and armored vehicles." The Democrat had pressed Republican lawmakers for six months to approve more funding for Ukraine. His 2024 election rival Donald Trump objected to aid for Ukraine, and some Republicans in Congress refused to back it, questioning whether Ukraine could ever prevail. But with the backing of Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, his chamber passed the bill Saturday and the Senate approved it late Tuesday. The legislation also includes $26 billion for Israel, as well as $1 billion in humanitarian assistance to Gaza. ”Israel must make sure all this aid reaches the Palestinians in Gaza without delay. And everything we do is guided by the ultimate goal of bringing this hostages home, securing a cease fire, and setting the conditions for an enduring peace.” Another $8 billion will go to countering China's military might, with funding for Taiwan and other U.S. partners in the Indo-Pacific. Biden also signed a separate bill tied to the aid package that bans TikTok in the United States if its owner, Chinese tech firm ByteDance, fails to divest the popular short video app over the next nine months to a year. TikTok's CEO said on Wednesday that the company expects to win a legal challenge to block the legislation.
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