President Biden speaks during the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 11, 2022. Photo: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Biden on Saturday authorized $200 million in defense assistance for Ukraine.
Driving the news: Biden in a memorandum authorized Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use the aid for military education and training and to "provide assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required."
- The Biden administration previously approved a $350 million aid package after Russia invaded Ukraine, which included weapons from U.S. stocks, Reuters reports.
- Congress this week also approved a bill that contains $13.6 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, split between humanitarian and security assistance.
- $4 billion of the bill passed by Congress will go to the Department of State "to provide humanitarian support for refugee outflows from Ukraine."
- Nearly $3 billion is going to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
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