The U.S. Capitol building is seen on June 30, 2023, in Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday to approve $24 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine as previous U.S. funding for weapons and other support for the country’s war effort runs dry. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday to approve $24 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine as previous U.S. funding for weapons and other support for the country’s war effort runs dry.
The request is part of a new $40 billion spending proposal and comes amid growing resistance on Capitol Hill to arming Ukraine as it slowly tries to regain land occupied by invading Russian forces. Hard-right Republicans, particularly in the House, have opposed more assistance and are demanding greater accountability for weapons already sent to the battlefield.
Lawmakers have approved four aid packages for Ukraine totaling $113 billion since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The last round of funding, about $45 billion, was approved in December and is set to run out at the end of September.
“The president has reaffirmed that we will stand with Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty for as long as it takes,” Shalanda Young, the leader of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “I urge the Congress to take swift action to provide the additional funding requested to follow through on our commitment to the Ukrainian peoples’ defense of their homeland and to democracy around the world.”
The Defense Department would receive about $13 billion under the proposal, including nearly $10 billion to replenish stocks of weapons sent to the front lines and speed up the production of equipment. The remaining funds would go toward military, intelligence and other defense-related aid to Ukraine.
The administration’s request also includes $44 million to support soldiers and Army personnel deployed or preparing to deploy to Europe. About $6.5 million is being requested for Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force troops stationed or deploying to the Continent.
The requested aid likely will be attached to a federal spending bill that Congress must pass by Oct. 1 to avoid a government shutdown. Republican resistance to approving funding legislation without spending cuts or other concessions is expected to complicate passage of the bill.
American support for aiding Ukraine has softened over time, largely due to opposition from Republicans. More than four in 10 Republicans believe the U.S. is providing too much aid to Ukraine, the highest level since shortly after Russia’s invasion, according to a June survey by the Pew Research Center.
Republicans were only 4% more likely than Democrats to hold that view in March of last year, according to the survey. Today, they are 30% more likely than Democrats to say the U.S. is giving Ukraine too much support.
A poll conducted for CNN last month found 55% of Americans opposed Congress authorizing additional funding for Ukraine.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that there was strong bipartisan support in the upper chamber for the supplemental funding request, which also contains money for disaster relief and addressing issues at the U.S. border with Mexico.
“The latest request from the Biden administration shows America’s continued commitment to helping Americans here at home and our friends abroad,” Schumer said in a statement. “[It] should send a clear signal to [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, the Chinese government and others of America’s resolve when it comes to defending democracy around the world.”
The supplemental aid is expected to fund Ukraine’s efforts on the battlefield for the first three months of the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, according to administration officials. The Pentagon still has $6.2 billion left in a fund that it uses to send weapons to Ukraine from its stockpiles and another $2.2 billion that it can spend on weapons contracts for the country.
Congress will not debate Biden’s request until lawmakers return from recess in September.
“We hope to join with our Republican colleagues this fall to avert an unnecessary government shutdown and fund this critical emergency supplemental request,” Schumer said.
