As Congress reconvenes this week, the White House delivered a dire warning to congressional leaders Monday morning that time is running out for lawmakers to approve more assistance to Ukraine. In letters Monday to party leaders in the House and Senate, White House budget chief Shalanda Young warned that inaction before the end of the year on a new round of funding will cause the Pentagon to run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks. It’s the latest warning from top officials as the administration presses to get President Joe Biden’s $61.4 billion emergency funding request for Ukraine across the finish line. The proposal is part of a $106 billion supplemental package President Biden sent lawmakers in October for additional funding for Ukraine, Israel, the Pacific and the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House push also comes as the Senate nears a major vote on the aid package with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) planning to hold a vote on President Biden’s proposal this week in the Senate. But Republicans in the House and Senate have insisted that further Ukraine money be paired with border security policy changes, and a failure to coalesce around border provisions could quickly stall the funding. The Pentagon had used 97 percent of the $62.3 billion it received as of mid-November, Young wrote. The State Department has used all of the $4.7 billion in military assistance it received, which included funds for humanitarian assistance and economic and civilian security assistance.
For today, the Senate will reconvene at 3:00 P.M. and will continue working on judicial nominations with a vote on final confirmation of the nomination of Irma Carrillo Ramirez to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit.
The House will meet at 2:00 P.M. for legislative business and will debate eleven bills listed for consideration under suspension of the Rules with no votes held today.
