Biden Asks Congress to Allocate Additional $22 Billion to Support Ukraine
US President Joe Biden’s administration has submitted a request to Congress to allocate more than US$22 billion by the end of the year to support Ukraine.
As Associated Press reports, the White House request refers to more than US$13 billion in military aid and US$8 billion in humanitarian support.
The request is for a total of US$40 billion. In addition to the funds provided to support Ukraine, it also includes US$12 billion to replenish the federal disaster response fund after a series of events this summer, as well as funds to improve law enforcement measures on the border with Mexico.
The outlet suggests that approving the funds this time may be more difficult than in previous cases, because Republicans in Congress feel a lot of pressure to support their fellow party member, former President Donald Trump, who has questioned the need for such significant support for Ukraine, and among American voters, support for aid to Ukraine has somewhat decreased.
In a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, White House budget director Shalanda Young calls for swift action.
The request was immediately framed in such a way as to increase the chances of bipartisan support, including increasing funding for border protection, which is a priority issue for the Republicans.
The White House has said that it sees no evidence of decrease in Americans' support for sending military aid to Ukraine.
The United States allocated over US$66 billion in total aid to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.