In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young said that time to support Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion is running out.
“I want to make it clear: If Congress does not act, we will run out of funds to buy more weapons and equipment for Ukraine by the end of the year,” wrote Sh. Young.
“Cutting off the supply of US weapons and equipment will cripple Ukraine on the battlefield,” she added.
In October, US President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve 106 billion $97.4 billion security funding package, including support for Ukraine and Israel’s war with the Islamist group Hamas.
But Congress has been paralyzed by Republican divisions for months, with hard-line right-wing lawmakers particularly opposed to any further aid to Kyiv.
New Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, a little-known ally of former President Donald Trump, took office in October after his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted in a right-wing coup within his own party.
Under Johnson’s leadership, Congress narrowly averted a chaotic government shutdown over the Thanksgiving holiday in November, but the deal, which allowed it to stay in place until mid-January, did not include aid to key American allies.
“Money is running out – and time is running out”
A strongly worded letter from the White House budget director states that by then it will be too late and funds for Ukraine will have already run out.
“There is no magic pot of funds that will allow us to reach this moment. We are running out of money – and almost no time left,” wrote Sh. Young.
According to her, if there is no agreement on more funding, not only Ukraine’s achievements so far are at risk, but also the probability of Russian military victories is increasing.
“This is not a problem for next year. The time to help a democratic Ukraine fight Russian aggression is now. It is time for Congress to act,” she wrote.
Ukraine is desperate for more foreign aid after Russian forces stepped up their offensive in the east after holding off a counterattack by Kyiv.
The front line has remained largely unchanged for the past one year, despite the fact that this summer Ukrainian forces, using Western military equipment, launched a massive effort to recapture captured territories.
Aligning Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hamas as forces bent on destroying neighboring democracies, Mr. Biden seeks to combine aid to Ukraine and Israel, $61 billion and $14 billion, respectively. dollars (56.1 and 12.9 billion euros) – to the aid package, which was requested in Congress in October.
Since February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the United States has already given Kyiv $40 billion. dollars (36.8 billion euros) of military aid.
The Ukraine issue could also hurt Mr. Biden’s re-election chances as the Democratic president seeks a second term. Polls show a growing number of voters believe the United States is helping Kyiv too much.
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2024-08-22 15:59:10
