Senator Baldwin Votes to Protect Americans, Support Allies, and Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Civilians

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) released the following statement after voting to send the National Security Supplemental bill to the President’s desk:

“This bipartisan package delivers the resources we need to keep our families safe from threats at home and abroad. After months of delays, Democrats and Republicans finally came together to help our allies defend their freedom, deliver humanitarian aid, and keep our country safe.

“Across the globe, our allies face mounting threats to their democracies, and this legislation ensures Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan have the resources they need to defend themselves. The United States stands for freedom and stands up to bullies like Putin, Hamas, China, and Iran – and this bill shows that. I will continue to push the Biden Administration to live up to our responsibility to ensure any military aid we deliver is used in line with our values and is not used to harm innocent people. With an unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza and starvation plaguing millions of others worldwide, this bipartisan legislation delivers desperately needed food, water, and medical aid to innocent civilians who are caught in conflict zones through no fault of their own.

“I also remain committed to protecting Americans from the threats we face at home. With fentanyl devastating community after community, I am proud to include our bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act that will crack down on the cartels and traffickers bringing fentanyl into our communities. This bill also will help keep Wisconsinites safe from the growing threat of China. We can’t allow the Chinese Communist Party to access people’s data and weaponize it, and this bill ensures that the app’s owners have plenty of time to do the right thing— sell the company, and keep the platform available for millions of Americans.”

The National Security Supplemental package includes:

Supporting Our Allies – $60 billion to support Ukraine as it fights back against Putin’s bloody invasion and protects its people and sovereignty, as well as $481 million to continue support for Ukrainians displaced by Putin’s war of aggression; $14.1 billion in security assistance for Israel; and $8.13 billion to support key regional partners in the Indo-Pacific and deter aggression by the Chinese government.

Delivering Humanitarian Aid – $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance to provide food, water, shelter, medical care, and other essential services to civilians in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and other populations caught in conflict zones across the globe.

Disrupting the Flow of Fentanyl – The bill includes the Senator Baldwin-supported FEND Off Fentanyl Act, bipartisan legislation to combat the country’s fentanyl crisis by targeting the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs from Mexico.

Protecting American’s Data – The bill prevents app store availability or web hosting services in the United States for ByteDance-controlled applications, including TikTok, unless the application severs ties to entities that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary. ByteDance will have 360 days from enactment of the law to divest from TikTok.

Standing Up to Iran – The bill includes several bipartisan provisions to crack down on Iran, which Senator Baldwin co-sponsored in the Senate, including establishing additional sanctions on the Iranian regime. The Baldwin-backed package also requires the President to impose sanctions on foreign entities that are involved with Iran or Iran-affiliated missile-related activities and requires sanctions on any entity engaging in transactions with a senior member of certain terrorist organizations including Hamas, or any group or foreign state providing support for these organizations. The bill also would require the U.S. Treasury to work with our allies to develop a strategy to ensure Hamas is incapable of financing armed hostilities against Israel.

An online version of this release is available here.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.