$6 billion for Ukraine will be “lost” if Congress does not take action

Almost $6 billion in funding for Ukraine will expire at the end of the month. To prevent this from happening, Congress must take urgent action.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to AP and Ukrinform.

U.S. officials said the Biden administration has asked Congress to include funding authority in any resolution lawmakers may pass before the end of the fiscal year on September 30 to fund the federal government and prevent a shutdown. Officials said they hope to extend the authority for another year.

They also said the Defense Department is considering other options if these efforts are unsuccessful.

According to agency sources, approximately $5.8 billion in Presidential Decision Authority (PDA) is set to expire. Another $100 million in PDA does not expire at the end of the month, officials said. The PDA allows the Pentagon to remove weapons from warehouses and quickly ship them to Ukraine, AP notes.

The officials said there is just over $4 billion in Security Assistance Initiative funds for Ukraine that will not expire at the end of the month. This money, which expires on September 30, 2025, is used to pay for arms contracts that will not be delivered for a year or more.

Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder said the US Department of Defense is working with Congress to ensure that the remaining $60 billion in aid to Ukraine does not expire at the end of the fiscal year.

“At the end of the fiscal year, the authority (to allocate aid by order of the US President - ed.) will expire. Therefore, we are now working with Congress to extend this authority and to be able to continue to provide assistance packages,” the Pentagon official said.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 13/09/2024