“We intend to use every cent” - Pentagon on available funding to help Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The Pentagon's deputy spokeswoman announced the intention to use all available funding for Ukraine. The US Department of Defense is working with Congress to extend authorizations for further support.
The Pentagon assured that it intends to use "every cent" available to help Ukraine. This was stated by Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of Defense Sabrina Singh during a briefing on September 19 in response to a question about the Presidential Decision Authority program to support Ukraine, UNN reports.
Details
According to her, there is $5.9 billion left for assistance from the PDA Presidential Powers Program for Ukraine, "and all but $100 million expire at the end of the fiscal year." "So it's a total of $5.8," she said.
"We plan to use the authority that we've been given - we plan to use the amount that's been allocated for the authority. This is an opportunity to extend that authority to use it beyond the fiscal year, which is something we're working on with Congress," the Pentagon spokeswoman said.
"So, we have every intention of using every dollar and cent of that authority, but the problem is also that we can't use the packages without those capabilities on our shelves. So that's something that we're working on as well. And I would also remind you that during the six months that we didn't have this additional package, we couldn't restock our shelves. That's why we need Congress to offer this extension (of authority) so that we can continue to provide these PDA packages," Singh said.
"We are now working with the Congress to extend this authorization. There is a bipartisan agreement in Congress that we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and you see that on both sides of the aisle. So I think there is an agreement that we will continue to support Ukraine. We are working with the Congress right now. When I have more information, I'll share it," she emphasized.
Addendum
In April, Congress approved additional funding for Ukraine and its partners for about $61 billion. The US president also received permission from lawmakers to send Ukraine weapons under the PDA program - up to $7.8 billion. The text of the law states that this authorization is valid until the end of the 2024 budget year, which ends on September 30. If the authorization is not extended, the White House may lose access to the money.
"Voice of America notes that there is another way to do this. The Biden administration can notify Congress of its intention to use this amount. In this case, lawmakers would not need to pass anything again. The formal notification should be made by the Secretary of State, as it has been done in the past.
