A look at what’s in the $95 billion foreign aid package and what the money does

Read the Full Transcript

• Amna Nawaz:

  We return now to that sweeping foreign aid package that's now law and set to deliver tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

  Lisa Desjardins is here now to walk us through what happens now.

  So, Lisa, the biggest portion of that foreign aid package is for Ukraine. How soon does the money and the weapons get there?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Almost immediately, within hours or days, is what we're being told.

  And the reason we want to look at this is because, while this has passed Congress, there was a lot of drama and intensity there. This is a world kind of matter now,what happens to all this money.

  So, let's look at some of the biggest money, especially for Ukraine. Where those $60 billion for Ukraine are going, the largest portion, $23 billion, is actually to replenish U.S. stockpiles, weapons we have already sent; $14 billion would be new weapons for Ukraine that would go through contractors here in America, and $8 billion would be a transfer of existing weapons.

  Now, what do we know about the weapons? Ukraine, as you saw yourself, in desperate need. What are they getting? The White House today announced the first billion dollars or so worth of weapons that will be going. Mostly, they said it would be short-range anti-aircraft missiles.

  We know the need there for Ukraine. In addition, there would be artillery, those big guns, 105-millimeter, 155-millimeter, Bradley Vehicles. We have talked about that on this show before and the needs there in Ukraine. And anti-armor systems and mines to push back at the Russians.

  Now, what's not on that list of what was announced today? Long-range anti-aircraft systems, ATACMS. The White House did announce, and Nick Schifrin has been reporting also, that there were actually ATACMS sent in the last month secretly to Ukraine, that Biden and his administration were able to get those in there.

  What we didn't see on this list were Patriot missiles, those longer-range anti-aircraft missiles, big deal because, as you saw, the missiles that Russia can send can take out areas around Kyiv, like that power plant, for example, where you saw the damage.

  They were needing — in need of anti-aircraft missiles, potentially like Patriot missiles. We're waiting to see if the Biden administration acknowledges that more of those kinds of long-range, more expensive weapons will be sent soon.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Lisa, as you mentioned, it was a journey to get here, right? This took over half-a-year amid some early Republican opposition, but it did pass overwhelmingly.

  What does that tell us about the Capitol right now?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Really remarkable in this time of incredible partisanship that national security actually was a unifying cause, and not just any national security, but with a worldwide view.

  So, listening to senators last night, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, it was some of the most kind of unifying rhetoric I have heard from both of them. They called this aid package historic.

• Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY):

  We can wish for a world where the responsibilities of leadership don't fall on us, or we can act like we understand that they do.

  Tonight, as at so many moments in our history, idle calls for America to lower its guard ring hollow.

• Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY):

  Failure to pass the supplemental would have been a gift to Putin, to Iran, to Xi, and hurt America politically, militarily, economically, and culturally. I'm glad that, when it mattered most, finally, finally, finally, both parties came together to do the right thing for our nation's security.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  There were, of course, opponents to this, largely Republicans.

  Now, while there were fewer Republicans who voted no in the Senate than the previous version of this bill, those who did said this was a misguided mistake.

• Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT):

  Congress cares more about sending billions to wage endless war in foreign countries, cares more about this than saving our own country. It seems no price is too high, no weapon system is off-limits. Our only strategy appears to be spend, spend, spend, and then spend some more, with little to no thought given to the consequences.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  This is a longtime American debate, but it ended this time with America involvement overseas.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Lisa, in the meantime, we know there's aid in this package for Israel and Taiwan as well. Where will that money go?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Let's go through that quickly.

  For Israel, first of all, $14 billion. You will see a couple of different figures, but that is money just for Israel itself. Also in that same bill is another $9 billion of humanitarian relief. That will include Gaza and other crisis points around the world.

  Now, $8 billion will go to the Indo-Pacific region. There's a lot happening there in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China. That will include money to try and, let's say, expand U.S. submarine presence in that region, but also loans to some of those countries.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Lisa, we're talking about $95 billion in aid. What are your sources telling you in terms of how long this is going to last?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  I know. It's been a long time even getting here, right?

  Now, if you think about this, $95 billion, let's look at Ukraine, $60 billion in this bill. Now, up until this point for Ukraine, we have given about $44 billion. So this is more than the U.S. has given in aid since that start in 2022.

  Talking to sources, they think that this can last in Ukraine for perhaps a year. If the United States wants, they can send more aggressive weapons, more expensive weapons. Then it will last less time, but at least through the election, maybe a year.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Lisa Desjardins, thank you so much.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  You're welcome.