UKRAINE AID COULD TOTAL $1 BILLION: By a wide bipartisan margin, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $851.9 billion defense spending bill for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, including $800 million in direct military aid for Ukraine.

The 26-3 vote in committee sends the bill to the Senate floor, where, if passed, it will have to be reconciled with a House bill that currently includes no aid for Ukraine. The bill also provides for another $200 million for the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, which are expected to use the money for additional assistance to Ukraine, bringing the aid total to $1 billion, according to Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), the top Democrat on the committee.