The U.S. Capitol building is seen in Washington, D.C., March 28, 2024.
CNN —
House Republicans released the text of three bills Wednesday that would provide aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region, with the latter intended to help deter Chinese aggression in the area. A fourth bill includes other House GOP priorities, including sanctions on Iran, the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign assets and a measure that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok.
The three assistance bills are similar to the foreign aid legislation that passed the Senate in February. The fourth House bill was not part of the Senate package.
The three House aid bills add up to about $95 billion – the same amount the Senate bill included – with an adjustment that $10 billion in Ukraine economic assistance is in the form of a repayable loan, CNN has reported.
The House is expected to vote on the bills Saturday. President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday that he supports the aid package.
Here’s what’s included in the bills, according to a summary provided by House Republicans:
Nearly $61 billion for Ukraine
One of the bills would provide a total of nearly $61 billion to assist Ukraine and others in the region fightRussia – about the same that was included in the Senate bill.
Of that total, about $23 billion would be used to replenish US weapons, stockpiles and facilities, and more than $11 billion would fund current US military operations in the region.
Nearly $14 billion included in the bill would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons systems and other defense equipment.
More than $26 billion for Israel
The House package would provide $26.4 billion to aid Israel, specifying that the funds are to support “its effort to defend itself against Iran and its proxies, and to reimburse US military operations in response to recent attacks,” according to a summary of the legislation.
The funding includes $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems and $1.2 billion for the Iron Beam defense system, which counters short-range rockets and mortar threats.
It would also provide $4.4 billion to replenish defense items and services provided to Israel and $3.5 billion for the procurement of advanced weapons systems and other items through the Foreign Military Financing Program. Plus, it would provide additional flexibility for transfers of defense items to Israel from US stockpiles held in other countries and would prohibit sending funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, which supports Palestinian refugees and hascome under fire after Israel allegedsome of its staff were involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack.
Also included is $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance – including emergency food, shelter and basic services – to populations suffering crises.
The Senate bill, by comparison, would provide $14.1 billion in assistance to Israel, including funds for missile defense systems and foreign military financing to help Israel reestablish territorial security and deterrence, and $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid.
More than $8 billion for Indo-Pacific security
The House package includes $8.1 billion to counter China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific region. It includes $3.3 billion to develop submarine infrastructure, $2 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan and other key allies, and $1.9 billion to replenish defense items and services provided to Taiwan and regional partners.
The Senate bill contained very similar provisions to bolster security in the region.
Potential TikTok ban
One of the key components of the fourth pillar in the House package is a hot-button bill that could lead to a possible nationwide ban of TikTok, the popular social media app with links to China.
An earlier version of the TikTok billsailed through the Housein March. By including it in the aid package, House Republicans hope to force the Senate to a quick vote on a measure supporters say is necessary to protect Americans’ personal data from the Chinese government. Opponents, including TikTok and a range of civil society groups, argue that the bill risks violating the First Amendment rights of TikTok’s users.
Thelatest version of the TikTok bill sets out a nine-month timeframe for the app’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, to sell the social media company. If it misses the deadline, TikTok would be banned from US app stores. The proposed time limit is longer than the roughly six months considered inprevious legislation. And it would give the president the option to extend the deadline by another 90 days if he determines there’s been progress toward a sale.
The changes appear aimed at addressing concerns by some senators that the original six-month deadline may have been too short. Whether the revisions are enough to gain Senate approval, however, remains unclear as some leading senators have signaled desires for a slower approach to a TikTok bill.
Iran sanctions, Russian assets
The fourth bill also contains what House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul calls “the most comprehensive sanctions against Iran Congress has passed in years.”
It would place sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil and on anyone involved in activity covered under the UN missile embargo on Iran that lapsed last year or in the supply or sale of Iran’s missiles and drones. It would also further restrict the export of goods and technology of US origin to Iran.
Plus, the legislation would empower the executive branch to seize and transfer frozen Russian assets held in the US to Ukraine to help it fight and rebuild. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that he was considering the measure – known as the REPO Act – as a way to aid Ukraine.
Top Biden administration officials have also been working with G7 allies – which include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union – to explore the novel strategy to help Ukraine, which would require congressional approval. The vast majority of Russia’s central bank assets that were frozen by the G7 and the EU are held by the EU, with the US only holding around $5 billion worth, officials told CNN.
In addition, the House bill would place mandatory sanctions on Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian terrorist groups.
CNN’s Lauren Fox, Haley Talbot, Melanie Zanona and Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.
