White House warns Congress it's running out of money to fund Ukraine

(Patria) - The Biden administration on Monday sent an urgent warning to Congress about the need to approve tens of billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Ukraine, saying Kyiv's war efforts to defend itself against the Russian invasion could stall without it, AP reported.

In a letter to the leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which was made public, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Shalanda Young, warned that the US would run out of money to send weapons and aid by the end of the year, saying it would 'bog down' Ukraine on the battlefield.

She added that the US had already run out of money it had used to support Ukraine's economy, and 'if Ukraine's economy collapses, it will not be able to continue the fight, to the end'.

'We have run out of money and are almost out of time,' she wrote.

President Joe Biden has requested a package of nearly $106 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other needs, but has faced resistance on Capitol Hill, where skepticism about the amount of aid to Ukraine is growing and where even Republicans who support funding insist on changes to US border policy with Mexico to stop the flow of migrants as a condition for support.

'Congress must decide whether to continue supporting the fight for freedom in Ukraine as part of the coalition of 50 nations that President Biden has built, or whether Congress will ignore the lessons we have learned from history and allow (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to win,' said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

'It's that simple. It's a stark choice, and we hope Congress will make the right choice on a bipartisan basis,' he added.

Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a standalone aid package for Israel, which is at war with Hamas in Gaza, while the White House insists that all priorities must be met.

Congress has already allocated $111 billion for aid to Ukraine, including $67 billion for military procurement, $27 billion for economic and civilian aid, and $10 billion for humanitarian aid. Young wrote that all but about 3% of military funds had been spent by mid-November.

The Biden administration said it had slowed the pace of some military aid to Kyiv in recent weeks to try to stretch supplies until Congress approves additional funding.

'We don't have the money to support Ukraine in this fight,' Young wrote.

'This is not a problem for next year. It's time to help democratic Ukraine fight Russian aggression. It's time for Congress to act,' she added.

House Speaker Mike Johnson reiterated that Republicans in the House would insist on border policy changes as part of the Ukraine aid bill, and said Biden 'has failed to substantively address any of my conference's legitimate concerns about the lack of a clear strategy in Ukraine, a path to conflict resolution, or a plan to adequately ensure accountability for the aid provided by American taxpayers.'

The letter followed a classified briefing on Capitol Hill on November 29 for top leaders of the House and Senate on the need for aid. Defense and other national security officials briefed the congressional 'Gang of Four' as Congress debates Biden's funding package of nearly $106 billion, which includes $61 billion for Ukraine, along with Republican demands for changes to the US-Mexico border security.

'They were clear that Ukraine will need help soon, and our military will also need help soon,' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told AP.