Partisan politics threaten to derail Ukraine aid package as Biden runs out of money

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has almost run out of funds to proceed sending extremely sought-after U.S. navy assist to Ukraine, and partisanship in Congress threatens to carry up swift passage of a invoice for extra help.

An official from the White Home’s Workplace of Administration and Funds advised Protection Information that Biden solely has roughly $250 million ignored of the $3.5 billion that Congress approved for the president to make use of in transferring navy gear to Ukraine from U.S. stockpiles.

That leaves Congress with a restricted period of time to go a further Ukraine assist supplemental, however the intricate politics of a sharply divided Senate may draw out ultimate passage of the package deal.

Majority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., intimated after the Democratic Caucus’ weekly luncheon on Tuesday that he would double down on his proposal from earlier this month to pair a further Ukraine help supplemental with a world COVID-19 assist package deal, which Republicans beforehand held up.

Requested by Protection Information in regards to the pairing plan, Schumer mentioned COVID-19 assist is “very, essential.”

“I might urge our Republican colleagues to go COVID aid ASAP,” Schumer mentioned. “It’s very dangerous for the well being of the American folks for them to be taking part in political video games with it.”

However instantly after, Minority Chief Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., advised reporters that his social gathering would doubtless proceed to carry up passage on coronavirus aid package deal — and by extension any potential Ukraine supplemental included in that laws — until they get votes on blocking Biden’s reported plans to repeal a pandemic-related immigration provision generally known as Title 42.

“Senate Republicans are going to insist on having an modification to Title 42 as a result of it’s extraordinarily necessary,” McConnell advised reporters after a Republican Caucus luncheon. “I’m going to make it clear to you, and to the bulk chief, that we’ll must have a Title 42 vote sooner or later right here — in all probability on the COVID package deal.”

Biden mentioned on the White Home final week he’s “almost exhausted” the drawdown authority he has from Congress to proceed supplying assist to Ukraine. The Protection Division remains to be formulating the precise greenback quantity it’d must proceed quickly furnishing assist to Ukraine.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visited the White Home and met with Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., final week to ask for extra navy assist in addition to funding for humanitarian and demining operations.

The dwindling Ukraine funds go away little or no margin for error within the notoriously slow-moving Senate. However Schumer’s remarks gave no indication Biden’s pressing request for a brand new Ukraine assist package deal final week has altered his political calculus on pairing it with international pandemic assist and the politically thorny immigration challenge that Republicans have linked with the COVID-19 package deal.

It’s additionally unclear whether or not the Biden administration favors a stand-alone Ukraine assist package deal or pairing it with international COVID-19 help. Requested Tuesday, White Home press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned the reply hinges on forthcoming conversations with Congress.

“We don’t have the mechanism but,” she advised reporters.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman of the protection spending panel, speculated the Ukraine supplemental would in the end go as a stand-alone invoice. Requested whether or not he prefers Schumer’s pairing method, he mentioned: “I don’t care. I believe we simply must get it finished.”

Final month, Washington finalized the fiscal 2022 $1.5 trillion spending bill, which offers $13.6 billion in new assist for the Ukraine disaster. The cash was largely to revive navy shares of kit already transferred to Ukrainian navy models by means of the president’s drawdown authority.

Within the meantime, the Home plans later this week to vote on a invoice that would assist furnish further navy gear to Ukraine.

The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, which the Senate unanimously handed earlier this month, would waive statutory necessities that presently govern Biden’s potential to mortgage navy gear to Kyiv underneath the World Battle II-era lend-lease program.