The US Senate Has Approved the Country's Defense Budget for 2024, Including Funds for Ukraine and Israel

The United States Senate has approved the $886 billion defense budget for 2024. The budget also allocates funds to support Ukraine and Israel.

This information is reported by The New York Times.

It is worth noting that the funds currently included in the US budget to support Ukraine and Israel are separate from the additional funding project of $111 billion, which is still awaiting approval in Congress.

At the same time, USA Today specifies that the future budget includes allocating 300 million dollars for the Security Support Initiative for Ukraine in the fiscal year 2024. This program is also planned to be extended until 2027.

In addition, the new budget takes into account a 5.2% increase in salaries for US military personnel. The bill also includes funding for joint Pentagon projects with Australia and the UK.

It is expected that the House of Representatives will support the defense budget today through an expedited procedure, leaving almost no chance for opponents of the project.

Earlier, Republican and Democratic leaders emphasized that the budget project for 2024 is a "fair compromise" with clearly defined priorities for supporting US allies.

However, some Republicans in the House of Representatives remain dissatisfied due to the exclusion of several points they proposed for consideration in the budget law. This includes the cancellation of leave and transportation payment for female military personnel related to abortion or other reproductive health procedures.

Recall that Joe Biden urged members of the US Congress not to delay providing assistance to Ukraine and not to make a "gift to Putin."

"Congress needs to pass the supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess — before they give Putin the greatest Christmas gift they could possibly give him. I urge them to do the right thing," emphasized the US President.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell stated that Congress is unlikely to approve additional funding for Ukraine before Christmas, even if both parties reach an agreement in the coming days, as they dispute the regulation of migration at the southern border of the United States.

Currently, due to controversies over migration regulation on the southern border of the United States, the additional funding project is still blocked by Democrats and Republicans.