Halting Ukraine Aid Will Severely Weaken its Military Defenses, White House Warns

The Biden administration is urgently warning Congress about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance to Ukraine. They are concerned that without this support, Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion could come to a halt.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young expressed that the U.S. will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of the year, which would severely impact Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.

Young also emphasized that the U.S. has already depleted the money used to support Ukraine’s economy, and if their economy collapses, they will not be able to continue fighting.

President Biden has proposed a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and other needs. However, the package has faced challenges in Congress, where there is growing skepticism about the level of assistance for Ukraine, and Republicans are insisting on U.S.-Mexico border policy changes as a condition for the assistance.

At the same time, the GOP-controlled House has passed a standalone assistance package for Israel, and the White House has maintained that all priorities must be met.

Congress has already allocated $111 billion to assist Ukraine, but the majority of this funding has been depleted by mid-November, except for a small portion of the military aid.

The Biden administration has slowed the pace of some military assistance to Ukraine in recent weeks to stretch supplies until Congress approves more funding.

Following a classified Capitol Hill briefing, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that Ukraine and the U.S. military are in urgent need of aid, and Congress needs to act now.