Spending fight in U.S. Congress imperils future of Ukraine military aid
Global News
The White House is urging lawmakers to pass the Ukraine funding as part of a larger spending bill that's currently being negotiated.
A heated spending battle among Republicans in the U.S. Congress might lead to a government shutdown — and imperil U.S. military aid to Ukraine at a time when it’s desperately needed.
U.S. President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve an additional US$40 billion in government spending, which includes US$21 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. The White House is urging lawmakers to pass the Ukraine funding as part of a larger spending bill that’s currently being negotiated.
But far-right Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives are calling for big cuts to government spending that could delay passing a budget bill, or even a short-term funding resolution, before the end of the month. Failing to do either would force the government to shut down, leaving federal programs and workers unpaid.
To help ease the spending bill’s passage, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is reportedly considering separating the Ukraine funding into its own bill, according to U.S. media. That could further delay its approval at a time when Ukraine’s slow-moving counteroffensive against Russia needs all the help it can get.
“This fight over the funding is critical, because if the American money dries up then the Ukrainians will have no choice but to cut a deal with Russia,” said Andrew Rasiulis, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute who served in the Department of National Defence.
“It really is that simple.”
The U.S. has indeed supplied far more military aid to Ukraine over the past 20 months than any other country. Its US$45.2 billion ($61.3 billion in Canadian dollars) in committed aid as of July 31 is more than twice the amount committed by the second-largest donor, Germany, according to data from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Canada has committed $1.8 billion (US$1.3 billion) in military aid, and has sent more than twice that in financial assistance.