Costa Votes to Expedite Critical Relief to Ukraine

WASHINGTON - Congressman Jim Costa (CA-16) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 7691 - Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, which would provide nearly $40 billion in emergency funding to address the worldwide hunger crisis stemming from Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

"As Putin continues his brutal invasion of Ukraine, innocent civilians are suffering so we must act promptly to provide them with food for survival. Additionally, we must provide military assistance to push Russia's army back to the original borders to end this war." said Costa. "Putin's war has killed thousands of Ukrainians and displaced millions who have no food or resources in the region. With this supplemental package, we are taking a big step to support Ukrainians defending their sovereignty and democracy."

This supplemental package exceeds President Biden's urgent request for $33 billion in aid and includes funding for military aid, support for Ukraine's economy, and humanitarian aid to address the global hunger crisis.

Specifically, this bill would provide:

• $6 billion in defense aid to assist the Ukrainian military with training, weapons, equipment, and intelligence support
• $8.7 billion to replenish U.S. stocks of equipment sent to Ukraine
• $5 billion to address rapidly growing global food insecurity and the impact of rising food prices
• $900 million to bolster refugee support services, including housing, trauma and support services, and case management for arrival and refugees from Ukraine
• $54 million to provide medical support, screening, and related public health activities
• $20 million to reimburse the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, which is a critical backstop when international famine needs exceed available normal funding for U.S. assistance

As part of an initialeffort with the House Agriculture Committee, Costa helped push the Biden Administration to address the ongoing humanitarian food crisis around the world by utilizing funding and resources available through the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust (BEHT), an emergency international food aid program administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Administration for International Development (USAID).

A section-by-section summary of the aid is available here.

The full text of the bill is available here.