Washington, Sep 5 – The Administration of US President Joe Biden reinforces its commitment to Ukraine by requesting new funds from Congress to help the country: 11.7 billion dollars in economic and security assistance and 2 billion for reduce the cost of energy in the United States.

The US Senate had already approved in May 40,000 million dollars in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine to face the war unleashed by the Russian invasion of its territory, a figure that was authorized after the 13,600 million package authorized in March had been exhausted. .

“President Biden has made it clear that the United States is committed to continuing to assist the people of Ukraine in defending their sovereignty. To fulfill that commitment, we are requesting $11.7 billion in economic and security assistance for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023.” , says the White House.

The request has been expressed by its head of the budget office, Shalanda Young, on the eve of Congress resuming its activity this week after the summer holidays.

Military aid to Ukraine seeks to reinforce the defense of that country in the short and long term and has already materialized, among others, with ammunition, laser-guided rocket systems, different types of drones or tactical vehicles.

The fiscal year begins in October. “As with the current fiscal year, we are confident that Congress will reach a funding deal that benefits the American people. But with a month to go in the fiscal year, it is clear that it will first need to pass a rolling short-term resolution.” to keep the federal government running,” Young says on his blog.

The aid package to Ukraine is part of that short-term resolution and includes requests for three other emergencies: monkeypox, covid-19 and recovery from natural disasters.

The White House admits that the fight against the coronavirus pandemic needs additional funds and evaluates the figure at 22.4 billion dollars to meet short-term needs, from preparing for future variants to accelerating research and development of vaccines and treatments.

The Administration is also requesting $3.9 billion to ensure that the American population has access to monkeypox vaccines, tests and therapies, and another $600 million to help fight the disease worldwide.

The United States accumulates the highest number of global cases of monkeypox, with 19,962, out of a total of about 53,000, according to figures this Friday from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The first death in the country of a person with monkeypox was recorded in late August in Texas.

The request for another 6,500 million to deal with natural disasters such as droughts, floods and fires brings the total funds requested by the Democratic Executive to 47,100 million dollars.

“This Administration will continue to work with members of both parties in Congress to meet these critical needs of the American people. We look forward to reaching a bipartisan funding agreement,” the note concludes.

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