Congress Agrees to Up Ukraine Aid Package to $14 Billion

 

The White House asked for $10 billion, including $4.8 billion for the Pentagon

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onMarch 8, 2022CategoriesNews

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Tuesday that congressional leaders had agreed to raise the aid package for Ukraine to $14 billion, an increase from the $10 billion requested by the White House last week.

A congressional aide confirmed to The Hill that there was a deal but said the price tag was closer to $13.5 billion. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that the amount would be “a little less than” $14 billion.

The $14 billion will be rolled into a massive $1.5 trillion omnibus bill that’s expected to be unveiled late Tuesday.

It’s not clear how the $14 billion will be spent. Of the $10 billion requested by the White House, $4.8 billion was meant to go directly to the Pentagon to cover costs of deploying more troops to Eastern Europe, replenishing arms that the US has sent to Ukraine, including Stinger missiles, and increased intelligence and cybersecurity support.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his assault on Ukraine, the Biden administration had announced an additional $350 million in military aid for Ukraine. According to a report from CNN, the majority of that new package has already been delivered as the US is working with its allies at an undisclosed base in Eastern Europe to speed up deliveries into Ukraine.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/03/08/congress-agrees-to-up-ukraine-aid-package-to-14-billion/