WASHINGTON (CN) — The White House is urging Congress to approve additional money for Ukraine before Washington exhausts funding sources at the end of the year.
Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a letter to congressional leaders Monday saying the federal government is nearing the bottom of the well from all previous funding to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from U.S. military stocks,” she wrote. “There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money — and nearly out of time.”
Young said the Pentagon has used 97% of the $62.3 billion it had received as of mid-November and the State Department has used all of its $4.7 billion in security assistance. State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Monday that officials are relying on residual funds and, without congressional action, “We will very shortly run out of any runway at all.”
President Joe Biden submitted a $61.4 billion emergency funding request for Ukraine to Congress in October as part of a larger $106 billion package.
“Cutting off the flow of U.S. weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield,” Young wrote. “While our allies around the world have stepped up to do more, U.S. support is critical and cannot be replicated by others.”
Beyond geopolitical aspirations, the White House argues that providing equipment to Ukraine bolsters the U.S. economy and supports jobs
“As President Biden has said, when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they will cause more chaos and death and destruction,” Young wrote. “They just keep on going, and the cost and the threats to America and to the world will keep rising. The path that Congress chooses will reverberate for many years to come.”
The Senate is nearing a vote on the aid package, but Republicans in the House and Senate have said the money must be paired with border security policy changes. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fended off suggestions that the White House is willing to compromise on other priorities with Republicans, such as immigration reform, because it is desperate for the extra funding.
“It’s not desperation [in] making sure that we continue to support Ukraine against tyranny,” she said. “It’s not desperation. It’s the right thing to do.”
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, said Congress has a choice to approve the money or “ignore the lessons we’ve learned from history and let Putin prevail.”
“It is that simple,” he said. “It’s that stark of a choice.”
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