A boy spray paints destroyed Russian military equipment in Odessa on September 2, 2022. AFP via Getty Images / OLEKSANDR GIMANOV
White House Asks Congress For $13.7B for Ukraine
The administration has used about three-quarters of the $40 billion Congress authorized in May.
President Joe Biden is asking Congress to authorize an additional $13.7 billion to help Ukraine, the Office of Management and Budget announced Friday.
The request includes $11.7 billion for security and economic assistance, plus an additional $2 billion to help cut energy costs that have been driven up in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If approved, it would bring the total amount of Ukraine aid authorized by Congress since the war began in February to more than $67 billion.
Congress has not yet passed a budget for fiscal 2023, which begins Oct. 1, and is preparing to consider a continuing resolution to keep the government funded past Sept. 30. The White House is asking lawmakers to consider the supplemental request for additional Ukraine money alongside the continuing resolution.
“We have rallied the world to support the people of Ukraine as they defend their democracy, and we cannot allow that support to Ukraine to run dry,” the OMB post says. “The people of Ukraine have inspired the world, and the administration remains committed to supporting the Ukrainian people as they continue to stand resolute and display extraordinary courage in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”
In March, Congress approved $13.6 billion for its first military and humanitarian aid package to Ukraine. By the end of April, the administration had exhausted that funding, and asked Congress for an additional $33 billion to provide military, economic, and humanitarian support.
In May, Congress surpassed that request, approving $40 billion in supplemental spending, with some of the extra money going toward replenishing Pentagon weapons stocks that had been sent to Ukraine.
About three-quarters of the authorized funds have already been disbursed or committed, OMB wrote.
This money is intended to support Ukraine from October to December, making it likely the last supplemental funding request Congress will consider ahead of midterm elections in November. Republicans are increasingly criticizing the White House for giving Ukraine a blank check for “as long as it takes” while Americans wrestle with domestic problems such as inflation, leading some to predict that American support for Ukraine could be cut off if Republicans retake control of Congress in 2023.
However, the vast majority of Americans, want to boost support to Ukraine as Russia’s war continues. More than 70 percent of people want to send more weapons and military supplies to Ukraine, according to a July poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. About 6 in 10 people also said the United States should support Ukraine, even if it means higher gas and food prices at home.