https://sputnikglobe.com/20240914/biden-admin-pleads-lawmakers-to-include-58bn-ukraine-aid-extension-in-spending-bill-1120143623.html
Biden Admin Pleads Lawmakers to Include $5.8bn Ukraine Aid Extension in Spending Bill
Biden Admin Pleads Lawmakers to Include $5.8bn Ukraine Aid Extension in Spending Bill
Sputnik International
Almost $6 billion in US funding for aid to Ukraine is set to expire by the end of the month, however congressional lawmakers may extend the Pentagon’s authority to send weapons to Kiev, US officials said.
2024-09-14T05:14+0000
2024-09-14T05:14+0000
2024-09-14T05:14+0000
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The Biden administration has asked Congress to include an extension for funding for Kiev, in an already lengthy continuing resolution lawmakers are trying to pass to avoid a government shutdown before the end of the month. The temporary spending bill would keep US government agencies and programs operating for six months when the new budget year begins on October 1.But if that fails, a desperate US Defense Department will look into other options, though it was not reported what those other options would be. US officials told AP News that about $5.8 billion in presidential drawdown authority (PDA) – which allows the Pentagon to send stocked weapons to Ukraine – is set to expire and essentially has a “use it or lose it” deadline for September 30.While PDA allows the Pentagon to ship out older military equipment and refill stocks with new equipment, assistance to Ukraine can only be given in increments of hundreds of millions of dollars so the US does not “empty” Pentagon stocks.A congressional aide told The Hill that there may be some legal challenges in trying to allocate all $5.8 billion at once, as Biden administration lawyers are worried there might not be “an authority to permit transfers of munitions that are not currently in stock, or considered in surplus”.The spending bill already has another piece of legislation that is tied to it as well; the SAVE Act is legislation that requires those who are voting to submit proof of citizenship. This requirement is something that is universally opposed by Democrats and some Republicans, considering that it could complicate the national voter registration process before a major election.GOP lawmakers have also stressed that the bill continues spending at levels they think are excessive, and some Republicans also want Congress to return to passing their 12 annual spending bills separately as opposed to single, larger pieces of legislation which encompass a wide range of issues under one bill.
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Mary Manley
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Mary Manley
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no money for ukraine, us arms for ukraine, us assistance to ukraine, aid allocations for ukraine, ukraine aid, money for ukraine, us for ukraine, us weapons for ukraine, us aid to ukraine, us funding for ukraine, us funding to ukraine, biden aid for ukraine
Almost $6 billion in US funding for aid to Ukraine is set to expire by the end of the month, however congressional lawmakers may extend the Pentagon’s authority to send weapons to Kiev, US officials said.
The Biden administration has asked Congress to include an extension for funding for Kiev, in an already lengthy continuing resolution lawmakers are trying to pass to avoid a government shutdown before the end of the month. The temporary spending bill would keep US government agencies and programs operating for six months when the new budget year begins on October 1.
“We have $5.9 billion left in Ukraine Presidential Drawdown Authority; all but $100 million of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, told The Hill. “The Department will continue to provide drawdown packages in the near future and is working with Congress to seek an extension of PDA authorities beyond the end of the fiscal year.”
While PDA allows the Pentagon to ship out older military equipment and refill stocks with new equipment, assistance to Ukraine can only be given in increments of hundreds of millions of dollars so the US does not “empty” Pentagon stocks.
A congressional aide told The Hill that there may be some legal challenges in trying to allocate all $5.8 billion at once, as Biden administration lawyers are worried there might not be “an authority to permit transfers of munitions that are not currently in stock, or considered in surplus”.
The spending bill already has another piece of legislation that is tied to it as well; the SAVE Act is legislation that requires those who are voting to submit proof of citizenship. This requirement is something that is universally opposed by Democrats and some Republicans, considering that it could complicate the national voter registration process before a major election.
