President Biden hailed the Senate’s passage today of a new $40 billion aid package for Ukraine —the majority of it for military assistance— as “a clear bipartisan message to the world that the people of the United States” want the administration “to send even more weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, replenish our own stockpile, and support U.S. troops stationed on NATO territory"—a highly-dubious assertion. The vote was 86 to 11, those opposing being all Republicans.
In the same statement, the President announced that today he had ordered yet another package of security assistance for weapons and equipment to be sent “to the front lines” of Ukraine’s fight against “Russia’s ongoing aggression.” Secretary of State Tony Blinken specified that this is the tenth presidential drawdown for Ukraine from Department of Defense inventories, valued at up to $100 million. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby reported that the order covers 18 additional 155 mm howitzers, 18 more tactical vehicles and three additional counter-artillery radars.
