House expected to vote Tuesday on $40 billion Ukraine aid bill

By Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson, Annie Grayer and Ellie Kaufman, CNN

    (CNN) -- The Democratic-led House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday evening on a nearly $40 billion bill to deliver aid to Ukraine as it continues to face Russia's brutal assault.

Lawmakers unveiled bill text on Tuesday ahead of a planned vote later in the day on the legislation, which is expected to have bipartisan support. Aid to Ukraine has been a rare bright spot of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill with Democrats and Republicans largely rallying around a call to help the nation as it faces Russian attack.

The legislation the House will vote on provides funding for a long list of priorities, including military and humanitarian assistance.

Included among the legislation's allocations for defense is $6 billion to assist Ukrainian military and national security forces, according to a fact sheet released by House Democrats. The expenditure will go toward training, weapons, equipment, logistics and intelligence support as well as other needs.

There will also be almost $9 billion to help restock US equipment that has been sent to Ukraine. That comes as many lawmakers have raised concerns about replacing US stocks of weapons the US is giving to Ukraine, especially stingers and javelin missiles.

The bill includes an increase in presidential drawdown authority funding from the $5 billion the Biden administration originally requested to $11 billion. Presidential drawdown authority funding allows the administration to send military equipment and weapons from US stocks. This has been one of the main ways the administration has provided Ukrainians with military equipment quickly over the past 75 days of the conflict in Ukraine.

In the Ukraine aid supplemental that was signed into law in mid-March, $3 billion in this kind of funding was included. The Biden administration has been using that funding to provide military assistance to Ukraine in a series of presidential drawdown authority packages. The latest package of $150 million was authorized on May 6.

The bill also includes $6 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funding, another way the Biden administration has been providing Ukraine with military assistance. USAI funding allows the administration to buy weapons from contractors and then provide those weapons to Ukraine, so this method does not draw directly from US stocks.

To address humanitarian needs, the bill will include $900 million to bolster refugee assistance, including housing, trauma support, and English language instruction for Ukrainians fleeing the country.

The measure provides an additional $54 million that will be used for public health and medical support for Ukrainian refugees.

"This monumental package of security, economic and humanitarian aid will be on the Floor tonight, where we hope to secure a strong bipartisan vote," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to House Democrats on Tuesday after the bill text was released.

"This package, which builds on the robust support already secured by Congress, will be pivotal in helping Ukraine defend not only its nation but democracy for the world," Pelosi said.

Senate Democratic leadership has indicated the chamber will take up the bill quickly once it passes the House.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier in the day on Tuesday that after the House passes the nearly $40 billion emergency Ukraine aid package, the Senate "will move swiftly" to get the package passed and sent to President Joe Biden's desk.

The House vote comes after Biden called on Congress to "immediately" pass a new Ukrainian aid bill as he warned that existing aid would soon run out.

"Get it to my desk in the next few days," Biden said in a statement on Monday.

Biden had previously urged Congress to pass additional pandemic relief funding and the new assistance to Ukraine in the same bill.

But he said on Monday that congressional leaders told him to decouple the effort in order to more quickly get the aid to Ukraine. Congressional Republicans had insisted on the two issues moving on separate legislative tracks.

Biden initially requested $33 billion to help Ukraine as it fights Russia, but Congress has proposed billions more for food aid and military equipment.

"We cannot afford delay in this vital war effort," Biden said in the statement. "Hence, I am prepared to accept that these two measures move separately, so that the Ukrainian aid bill can get to my desk right away."

This story has been updated with additional developments Tuesday.

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