The White House warned on Monday that without action from Congress, funding to arm Ukraine in its fight against Russia will run out by the end of the year.
Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a letter to Congressional leaders that the government “is running out of money and almost running out of time” to continue providing aid to Ukraine. The White House has petitioned Congress to act on a request for additional funding first submitted in October, saying it is critical to U.S. national security.
“Let me be clear: Absent Congressional action, we will not have the resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine or provide equipment from the U.S. military stockpile by the end of the year.” There is no magic money that can meet this moment. We have no money and little time,” Young wrote.
“There is a lack of funds to support Ukraine in this fight. This is not a problem next year,” she added. “The time to support a democratic Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression is now. It’s time for Congress to act.”
The letter was written by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (New York), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (New York), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican, Kentucky). .
Mr. Young detailed how the government had depleted the approximately $111 billion allocated to aid Ukraine so far.
The Pentagon had used 97 percent of the $62.3 billion it received as of mid-November, Young wrote. The State Department has used all of the $4.7 billion in military assistance it received, including humanitarian assistance and economic and civil security assistance.
Young warned that failure to provide additional funding and support would “lead Ukraine to suffer on the battlefield, jeopardizing the gains it has made and increasing the likelihood of a Russian military victory.” .
Young said that about 60% of the funds approved to help Ukraine are strengthening the U.S. defense industrial base, and that the U.S. is providing support to domestic companies as it builds additional weapons for Ukraine and fills its own stockpile. I wrote that it was profitable.
By approving the White House’s additional request, Congress would direct an additional $50 billion to the nation’s defense industrial base, Young wrote.
In late October, the White House sent Congress an emergency funding request of about $100 billion for additional funding for border security, allies in the Indo-Pacific, and Israel and Ukraine in their respective conflicts with Hamas and Russia.
Approximately $61 billion of this request covers funding for Ukraine, including $30 billion to procure equipment for Ukraine from Pentagon inventories and backfill those inventories. It was
The White House has been pleading with Congress for weeks to act on additional requests, arguing that failure to do so would jeopardize progress in Ukraine’s war against Russia, especially as the country heads into a harsh winter.
President Biden assured Americans that the fight in Ukraine has domestic implications. He argued that although a conflict may seem far away, a Russian victory would have significant implications for democracies around the world and could ultimately draw the United States into a larger conflict. .
The White House has clashed with opponents in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where some members are skeptical about continuing aid to Ukraine.
Johnson, who took the House speaker’s gavel around the same time the White House submitted its funding request, said last week that he was confident the Ukraine-Israel funding would pass the House. But he said the two should be treated separately and that he supports Ukraine’s measures, including changes to U.S. border policy.
“Ukraine is also a priority. Of course we cannot allow President Vladimir Putin to march through Europe. And we understand the need for support there,” Johnson said. . “What we have said is that if we need additional support for Ukraine, which most members of Congress believe is important, we must also address changes to our own border policies. Thing.”
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