Last month, the US Senate passed over $95 billion in foreign aid divided between Ukraine, Israel and US allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing a foreign aid bill,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R).
Senate Republicans who still support former president Trump and most Republicans in Congress believe that the aid should be reserved for domestic issues.
Democrats like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) insist that the foreign aid bill would restate the US stance to “stand up to bullies.”
However, only two recipients of this aid are widely accepted as the bullied nation. One recipient has been considered the bullying nation.
Ukraine
Ukraine is receiving over $60 billion, over 2.2 trillion in Ukrainian currency.
Ukraine has been in conflict with Russia since 2014, with a full scaled Russian invasion occurring in 2022. To this day, Russia never declared war on Ukraine.
Southern and surrounding territories of Ukraine have been annexed, restored and temporarily re-annexed.
The Council on Foreign Relations reports the US has sent military, financial, and humanitarian aid since 2022, more than any other country.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that: “For us in Ukraine, continued US assistance helps to save human lives from Russian terror.”
Israel
Just over $14.1 billion will go to support Israel, equal to almost 51 billion Israeli shekels.
This money will primarily go to American companies providing supplies and military services to Israel. The remainder of the money will go to the Israeli government.
Despite support of Ukrainian aid, many Americans feel the opposite about supporting Israel.
Israel, centralised in 1948, is headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has allowed for bomb and sniper attacks on Palestine. Much of the violence is “justified” on alleged and possibly exaggerated ties to extremist group Hamas.
Migrants and reporters travelling with caravans have alleged that the bomb attacks follow them south into resource-bare refugee camps. Most recently under threat is Rafah, the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip.
Egypt is warning Israel and supporters not to support attacking Rafah, threatening an Egyptian response.
Ireland has also been in open support of Palestine since 1980, publicly critiquing both the US and Biden directly for supporting Israel. Clare Daly, an Irish MEP, has had a video circulating social media calling the US president ‘Butcher Biden’.
Indo-Pacific region
Nearly $5 billion in aid will go to allies in the Indo-Pacific region, notably Taiwan, to prevent expanding Chinese influence.
According to the CFR, the People’s Republic of China views Taiwan as a “renegade province” and wants Taiwan to reunite with mainland China. However, Taiwan has its own democratically elected government, and wants to stay independent.
The US has stood firm on trying to keep the peace within the Taiwan Strait. Both Taipei and Beijing have been asked to maintain status quo.
Despite years of peacekeeping, Biden has multiple statements that the US would come to Taiwan’s defence if China attacked. The White House has retracted them, but confirms the policy still exists, and action is up to the president.
Aid to countries like Taiwan are based on the higher ratio of trade the countries in the region have with China. Taiwan saw a peak in exports to mainland China despite efforts to lower them. Attempts to diversify trade in the Indo-Pacific region prove difficult due to China’s high trade power in the area.
The BBC said “China’s armed forces would dwarf those of Taiwan” if a confrontation were to occur. China has over ten times Taiwan’s military resources.
The remaining aid
Over $16 billion of the foreign aid package is split into humanitarian assistance and “other” categories.
Reuters reports that $2.44 billion of this will go to the Pentagon’s operation efforts around the Red Sea, specifically US forces combatting Houthi rebel shipments in Yemen.
The report showed $9.15 billion is to provide food, water, shelter, medical care and other unnamed services to remaining civilians in conflict zones globally, like Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine.
The Associated Press reports roughly $400 million in the aid will go toward a grant program that helps non-profits and places of worship make security enhancements and protect them from hate crimes. The bill is reported to include “language that would target sanctions on criminal organisations involved in the production of fentanyl.”
Fentanyl, a medical opioid sued for pain management, has been sweeping through the nation along with other synthetic drugs. Fentanyl is the most prominent, its new candy-like appearance appealing to children. The spiking numbers of adults dying from fentanyl-related overdoses are also considered a new medical crisis.
Featured Image Credit: Pexels, David Dibert
