When U.S. lawmakers approved a spending bill Saturday that averted a widely expected government shutdown, the measure didn’t include the $6 billion in military assistance that Ukraine said it urgently needed
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a welcome ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. The Pentagon is warning Congress that it is running low on funding to replace weapons the U.S. has sent to Ukraine and has already been forced to slow down restocking some troops. The warning from the Pentagon comptroller came in a letter sent to congressional leaders and was obtained by The Associated Press.
But Ukraine needs more. The intensity of the ground conflict has meant that even with those eye-popping numbers, and additional support from European allies, Ukraine needs regular infusions of aid to sustain its forces as the war grinds on for months and possibly years. The lack of funding now also affects next spring's fighting, and could have a compounding effect, Hardie said. The planning for a spring counteroffensive should be starting now, “and with each passing week that just gets worse," he said.that cutting Ukraine funding hurts the U.S. military, too — because the military's funding to replenish the weapons systems it has sent forward is also running out.
Herbst said he thinks this pushback on Ukraine funding may just be a “one-off.” Given the support for Ukraine among many Republican lawmakers, the holdout by that small faction of hard-right Republicans"antagonized a lot of people, including many in their own party. So this may be a pyrrhic victory for them” and a future bill would see the funds restored. Party leaders on both sides emphasized the need to continue supporting Ukraine in the hours after the bill passed.
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