President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a $1.5 trillion government funding bill that passed last week with bipartisan support, legislation that will both fund the government through the end of the fiscal year and provide billions more in support to Ukraine as they endure a violent Russian invasion.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed into law a $1.5 trillion government funding bill that passed last week with bipartisan support to fund the government through this year

  • The spending bill has $13.6 billion in additional support for Ukraine, including money for both military aid and humanitarian assistance

  • The funding package signed Tuesday does not include billions in COVID relief funding as requested by the White House, which they warned could stall key pandemic programs

  • Biden on Tuesday also highlighted the fact that the bill includes a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

The spending bill has $13.6 billion in additional support for Ukraine, including money for both military aid and humanitarian assistance.

“Today we’re again showing the American people that as a country we can come together — as Democrats and Republicans and Independents — and do big things,” the president said. “Our democracy can deliver … and outperform autocracies.”

Before signing the bill at the White House complex on Tuesday, the president pointed to the U.S. efforts so far to help Ukraine, including $1.2 billion committed over the last year.

He highlighted the humanitarian aid included in the government funding bill as critical, crediting frontline workers for delivering that support throughout the conflict.

“We’re going to be able to quickly ramp up our response and help alleviate the suffering that Putin’s war is causing the Ukrainian people,” Biden said.

The supplemental measure includes $6.5 billion in defense aid to Ukraine, including to replenish military supplies provided to the country throughout the invasion.

The funding package signed Tuesday does not include billions in COVID relief funding as requested by the White House, after Republican lawmakers called on Congress to use previously-approved coronavirus relief money to pay for it. 

The White House sounded the alarm about the loss of COVID funding, saying it would hurt things like vaccination efforts and distribution of antibody treatments. 

Biden on Tuesday also highlighted the fact that the bill includes a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which the president helped write and lead to passage when he was a senator. 

He also spent time pointing to the public safety measures in the omnibus package, including money for community policing and violence intervention programs. 

The measure dedicates $35.2 billion overall for the Department of Justice, which includes FBI funding of $10.77 billion and a $506.4 million increase in grants to state and local law enforcement.

It also has boosts for the Internal Revenue Service, immigration agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, food stamps and the Department of Defense.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.