Biden asks Congress for $40 billion in extra funds

The Biden administration asked Congress on Thursday for an additional $21 billion in funding for Ukraine, teeing off a bitter showdown with the GOP-controlled House. The total $40 billion request includes $13 billion in emergency defense aid and wildfire pay and an additional $8 billion for humanitarian support of Ukraine, as well as $12 billion for disaster relief after a season of heat and storms, as well as $4 billion for the border and to combat fentanyl to attract Republicans to the deal. The breakdown of the $13 billion defense request includes $9.5 billion for equipment and replenishment of Pentagon stocks and $3.6 billion for continued military, intelligence and other defense support.

The short-term funding request is for the first quarter of fiscal year 2024. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has already swatted away the idea of supplemental aid, saying he would insist on adhering to the $886 billion defense cap agreed to in the debt limit deal. ‘We just worked on an agreement,’ McCarthy told reporters previously, referring to the debt ceiling deal. ‘Working [on] a supplemental right now is only blowing up the agreement. That’s all about spending more money. So, no, I do not support a supplemental.’ But President Biden has said the U.S. will support Ukraine in its fight against Russia ‘for as long as it takes.’

Privately, administration officials have warned Ukrainian officials that there is a limit to the patience of a narrowly divided Congress – and American public – for the costs of a war with no clear end. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement there was strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate. ‘The latest request from the Biden administration shows America’s continued commitment to helping Americans here at home and our friends abroad,’ he said. ‘We hope to join with our Republican colleagues this fall to avert an unnecessary government shutdown and fund this critical emergency supplemental request.’

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