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More than two months after lawmakers passed a bill to fund the federal government and avoid a shutdown in October, Congress has yet to come to agreement on additional funding for Ukraine, as the country continues to fight to repel a Russian invasion.
When lawmakers passed the spending bill in early October, they pledged to consider and vote on funding for Ukraine before the 45-day continuing resolution ran out. That deadline came and went as Congress passed another short-term funding measure in November, again without additional funding for Ukraine.
Earlier this week, the Senate failed to advance a funding bill that contained money for Ukraine, Israel and humanitarian aid for Gaza. About $60 billion was earmarked for aid to Ukraine. Many Republicans opposed the measure because it did not include funding for U.S. border security.
Congress is long overdue for a comprehensive debate on reforms to the U.S. immigration system, including border security. However, support for Ukraine, which continues to face an imminent threat from Russia, cannot wait on that debate.
Public support for assistance to Ukraine is dropping, as it is in Congress. This is very concerning because Ukraine is still locked in the same struggle against horrific aggression. Supporting Ukraine is not only the right thing to do, it is in the U.S. best interest. Supporting Ukraine is vital to confronting Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his ambition to grow the sphere of Russian influence, by violent means, if necessary.
Turning our backs on the people of Ukraine would send the message that ongoing U.S. support cannot be counted on, emboldening Putin.
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That’s part of the reason why western countries, led by the European Union and United States, have supplied the Ukrainian government and military with weapons and financial support. While the U.S. support is among the largest financially, as a share of our country’s GDP, it is among the smallest.
The White House has warned that it will soon run out of money for weapons for Ukraine in its fight against Russia if Congress does not pass a bill with more aid by the end of the year.
“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks. There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money — and nearly out of time,” Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young wrote in a letter to congressional leaders.
“We are out of money to support Ukraine in this fight. This isn’t a next year problem,” she added. “The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight against Russian aggression is right now. It is time for Congress to act.”
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, which included funds for humanitarian assistance and economic and civilian security assistance.
It is encouraging to hear that negotiations on a package that supports Ukraine and makes additional investments in border security are ongoing. As we near the second anniversary of Russia’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, now is not the time to weaken U.S. support for Kyiv and the people of Ukraine.
Lawmakers must put aside their political grandstanding to craft an aid package that continues our support for Ukraine in its fight against Putin’s brutality and his expansionist goals.
