POLITICO reported on Thursday that President Joe Biden was contemplating using State Department funds to ship weapons to Ukraine. Washington and Kyiv are beginning to panic as Congress did not pass Biden’s proposed $24 billion aid package to Ukraine in September.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Congress provided the White House with several pools of funds to draw from for arming Kyiv. Most of the weapons shipped to Ukraine have come via the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) that allows Biden to order the Pentagon to ship American arms directly to Ukraine. Congressional funding allows the Department of Defense to purchase new weapons to replace those sent to Ukraine.
It is unclear how much money remains in the PDA account. In June, the Pentagon reported it had uncovered an “accounting error” that freed up an additional $6.2 billion in PDA funds. However, the White House has started to burn through that money, and just over $5 billion remains.
Additionally, Congress has authorized other funds for arming Ukraine. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) allows the Department of Defense to purchase weapons on behalf of Ukraine, and through Foreign Military Financing (FMF) the State Department gives Kyiv grants that can be used to buy American weapons. Congress earlier approved $4.6 billion in funds for the FMF of which about $650 million remains.
POLITICO spoke with two unnamed American officials who said the White House wants to use the $650 million in the FMF program to ship arms directly to Ukraine. The Pentagon is also looking at what items in its budget can be reprogrammed for Ukraine, although the White House would need Congressional approval for this.
The Biden administration is looking to use budgetary schemes to arm Ukraine as some members of Congress last week successfully prevented the body from passing a $24 billion aid package that includes $17 billion in military assistance.
On Tuesday, Biden held a call with allied leaders and warned that “time was not our friend.” According to a White House official, the president expressed that “we cannot under any circumstances allow America’s support [for] Ukraine to be interrupted. Time is not our friend.” The next day, Biden said, “[The situation] does worry me.”
A member of the Ukrainian legislature on Wednesday said people in Kyiv were beginning to panic. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze told POLITICO, “We are freaking out. For us, it is a disaster.” She added, “We are interested in getting things sorted out so American democracy can function and so we can restore the bipartisan consensus on supporting their own national interest by supporting Ukraine.”
Last month, Congress considered passing the $24 billion aid package with the budget to fund the government for the 2024 fiscal year, which began October 1. However, the House and Senate agreed to a 45-day funding bill that did not provide any aid to Kyiv.
As the American people turn against providing more weapons to Ukraine, a strong majority in both parties and in both houses of Congress continue to support sending billions of more tax dollars to Ukraine. Some in the Senate, upset by the rigorous legislative process slowing the aid bill, are proposing a massive funding package that will authorize over $70 billion in aid for Ukraine.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Biden doesn’t want to continue the debacle in Ukraine and now he has the perfect opportunity to blame it on the Republicans. Sorry Ukraine, you should have studied history a little harder before you decided to throw your lot in with the traitorous, backstabbing Americans. So many innocents gone that didn’t have to die. What a waste.
Ukraine decided nothing. The guilt of Ukrainians is the lack of organization in resisting the far-right coup. They are victims of political manipulations. I am talking about the majority of Ukrainians. When they had opportunity to vote, they always voted against the pro-American orientation but they were not active enough not to allow the far-right to take the power by force.
I don’t know enough about the state of play in Ukraine prior to the 2014 coup, but this sounds about right. The story we hear in the U.S. is that the Ukrainian people overwhelmingly supported joining NATO and that’s why the coup happened. Of course as someone whose standard heuristic is to believe 0% of what the government or MSM says I’ve never really believed this narrative.
Victoria Nuland got $5 billion from The National Endowment For Democracy to do the coup. How many snipers can you hire with $5 billion???
The leading political party in Ukraine before the coup 2014, was Party of Regions, the chairman Azarov. Azarov also was prime minister. Party of Regions was against integration into NATO. Before the coup 2014, Party of Regions had majority in 21 of 25 regional parliaments. Those facts are explaining much. US and NATO couldn’t get into Ukraine through democratic choice of people. That’s why they used neo-Nazi organizations and unconstitutional methods. It was important for them to start a bloodshed in Ukraine and stop any political activity which wasn’t in support of NATO. Then everyone who didn’t agree with new Kiev regime, was denounced as Russian propagandist and agent of Kremlin. After installation of the terrorist regime, they started investing big money in the militarization and preparation of war against Russia. Once the was started, it wasn’t difficult to block economic cooperation between Russia and EU. They thought Russia should collapse and then US navy could move into Crimea.
What an awful surprise it must have to find Russia a generation or two ahead in missile and weapons technology & vigor, gotten while U.S. & NATO were engaged in chasing ‘terrorists. Not only time lost but trillions squandered. They can print more money, but not a even a day of time….
I WISH, my brother! Biden is actually very stubborn. Seymore Hersh pointed that out many times. Biden goes down on the wrong side with his pet projects even if there is no hope. He doesn’t care about innocents dying. He’s been telling us that all his life. Don’t make me post his videoclips. I agree with you 100%. But, he’s not going to do the right thing. (Sarcasm)
“I can’t believe those who supported Ukraine, (the) overwhelming majority of the House and Senate, Democrat and Republican, will, for pure political purposes, let more people die needlessly in Ukraine.” – Joe Biden 10/1/2023
It’s been less than a week since he said that, and at least 1,000 AFU soldiers have died needlessly. Perhaps he should pull his head out, and take a look at what all that aid has REALLY done.
Hey Joe, ask your son.. The little guy.
But the little guy spent it all on cocaine and prostitutes.
Maybe his suppliers can get with the CIA and start flooding American cities with nose candy again and funnel the money to Zelensky. Just like old times and Contras!
Be careful, Argon! You just reminded them of their own scheme on how they can keep the war going! You know they read our comments everyday? …I’m paranoid? …Okay then. Let’s see how many pro-war comments we see if the government shuts down. —I’m kidding. You are correct. I am paranoid. (Sarcasm)
I don’t have any numbers. But it seems to me that the flow of heroin entering the US has diminished significantly since we pulled out of Afghanistan.
Not to mention how fentenal made it deadly dangerous to snort anything no matter what they said it was. Ditto smoke anything.
Crazy Anglo mentalities here in the west.
George Carlin: “When those blue eyes sail out of the north, you better nail everything down!” (Sarcasm)
Glad I have green eyes, NA! 😉
It’s times like this — with Biden and Congress hell-bent on funding Ukraine despite a near majority of Americans saying “no” — that you realize just how useless and cynical American “democracy” really is.
Yes, there is no “democracy,” or governance by the people, instead there is “executive power” for Biden to do whatever the PTB tell him to do. In any other country it’s autocracy.
Yes, it is at this point a clear majority. 55% overall population and over 75% of Republicans do not support arming Ukraine.
Here comes Hillarious with a new version of Deplorables. She is proposing all MAGA people be FORMALLY DEPROGRAMMED from cult. She must have some deprigrammung centers in mind. Another Feseral Governmentvprovram.
Maybe the US doesn’t need to fund Ukraine. The Russians seem to be doing a pretty good job destroying their own equipment!
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-shoots-down-own-jet-second-time-su-35-1832781
Oh So Rational cites couple of planes while thousands die trying to push advantage uphill at the front… It’s this sort of thinking, explains America’s sad record in non existential wars. The fearsome farmers were stupid to go along with the crazy flock of Neocons using them to batter the best armed country in the world!!!!!!!!!!
Repeatedly ignoring the will of the people results in revolution. Since “ democracy “ has been swept aside what’s the alternative.
TARGETS OF RUSSIAN STRIKES IN KHARKIV REVEALED…….On the night of October 6, the Russian military launched new wave of strikes with drones and missiles in different regions of Ukraine. Explosions were reported in the Odessa, Kirovograd, Kiev, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions.
According to preliminary reports from the city, the local Reikartz hotel full of foreign mercenaries and instructors was struck. The claims were confirmed by footage from the spot.
If so, and if they actually hit that target, then Good Riddance; and NO I don’t care if any of them were US citizens; they get to reap what they were sowing.
The best money the US ever spent. What a bunch of psychopaths they are. Total monsters. Estimates say half a million Ukrainians dead more than that injured. Over a million casualties.
Evil is when you praise a SS Galician Nazi for killing Russians. And lie outrageously to the people you are suppose to represent. Total EVIL psychopaths.
I remember when Madeline Albright said the death of half a million Iraqi children was worth it.
It’s just a shame Nuland and Blinken weren’t in that hotel.
I want Nuland, Blinken et al. to face war crimes tribunals. Is that to much to ask for? To insist on international law, justice and human rights to be applied.
The US has gone rogue, capitalism (fascism, massive endemic corruption) has destroyed the country. Hollowed it out. To be honest couldn’t of happened to a more deserving race of disgusting war mongering people. Americans are worse than the Nazi’s.
Is it not the funniest cruel joke in the world when we, here is the US, say that other countries are corrupt? (Sarcasm)
Killary too, Javy.
Remember the old canard “ Israel has the right to defend itself “. TRANSLATION = Endless amounts of taxpayer cash and military equipment so the apartheid regime can continue to slaughter innocent Palestinian women and children.
Wonder how Billy Boy Clinton sleeps at night hiring that freak monster Albright, cut from the same bloody rag as Victoria Nuland the monster architect of this Ukraine bloodbath. Makes me wonder what is the Full Spectrum Dominance gene that infects these women value power above all else” and why it’s so dominant in certain women. Dare I name their tribe…???? Albright said “We think it was worth it,” was Bill Clinton one of that “we”..??? Has anyone ever asked him…????? Hope I get a chance to call him out on this. one of these days.
“Oh no! We don’t have enough money to keep the proxy war going! Honey, take a look in the pantry, is there anything left?”
Common problem for the American politician?
People are waking up to what an evil criminal regime the US is. Ukraine is just doing what historically Ukrainian Banderite’s have always done, kill civilians in large numbers.
“The Biden administration is looking to use budgetary schemes to arm Ukraine”
Typical cheating Biden administration. Only the House can obligate taxpayer dollars not some tyrant in the White House.
It’s called “Cooking the Books”
I am going to make a bold prediction. The proxy war will lose the presidency for Biden. No re-election.
Who wudda thunk?
If combined with an economic slowdown, possible.
Good. Except, you know, Trump. We’re fucked.
I dislike Trump as much as you, but at least I wasn’t going broke due to inflation.
And what will four more years of Trump bring us? Anything remotely resembling governance? More ass kissing of Israel? Remember the Abraham accords and him recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital? A trillion-dollar military budget, with maybe that parade that the Don longs for? Will he spend any time going after those he deemed as not being loyal to him? And how exactly is he going to curb inflation? Does it resemble his plan to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours?
In short: This.
Well, there’s a pretty good chance that any US president could effectively end the war in Ukraine very quickly, although not in 24 hours.
dude you are not allowed to say it as it is
What will four more years of the Living Dead
( ByeDone) get us, Wars?
I am voting for neither.
If it is a choice between the narcissistic sociopath and the warmonger, I too won’t be voting for either.
RFKjr. seems 2B the logical alternative choice between the narcissistic sociopath and the warmonger!!!!!!
Yes. I also wonder if Gary Johnson will run again.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Johnson
i voted for him 2 times in a row but the next time he wasn’t on the ballot any more so i just stood there wondering WTF am i even doing here
And that’s why I said, “we’re fucked”.
i also vote for neither.
but at some point we have to recognize that one side is obviously more harmful than the other side.
am i right, or am i left.
Spy, with a very few exceptions in the D party (Cory, Ayanna, Rashida, Ilhan) NEITHER party is “left”.
Parades For what?
I prefer well trained warfighters and not wasting time on paper tiger bullshit.
The parade sh!t is the stuff dictators you support love.
Your ignorance has no bounds. I was mocking Trump you fucking idiot.
You would have. Although Biden’s last stimulus was probably unnecessary, the COVID subsidies and the supply chain issues would have happened to 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺. The 25% tax on Chinese imports (which are actually paid by US consumers) was Trump’s idea, but Biden hasn’t tried to fix it.
But, despite his occasional threats, Trump probably would not have started the war in Ukraine. That raised the cost of energy for “unfriendly” (to Russia) nations, and will continue to put pressure on diesel, fertilizer, and grain products.
good job man, you pretty much nailed it right there.
i will add that we would have massive inflation no matter which party controls the white house
I sure hope you’re right, that the war will kill the senile ones chances to get re-elected!!!
That creepy puppet wasn’t elected in the first place. It was installed.
And I will bet you 33 trillion dollars, they will keep him or install something similar.
I am going to repeat my prediction that theUkraine war will be over by Christmas. Including the pretense that a great counter offensive is days, weeks, months, around a corner.
The real question, will he even run?????????
Fvck the ukraine, fix our border instead, fight the fentanil China problem they are the enemy.
Yes. The MAGA s**thead and his oversimplification of issues. Keep trying, son. Go polish your assault rifle/phallic symbol.
take a break son
No
I must have missed something here. Why is this post getting down votes? I agree with spending American money on American problems instead of stupid wars that have nothing to do with us.
China isn’t our enemy. And drug consumption by Americans isn’t dictated from Peking. Americans are responsible for America’s drug problems – no one else.
too bad that uncle sam does not scramble to take care of American people especially children.
what
hey NoNameSoSueMe, you gave me a thumbs-up …. i would like to assume that you are in favor of taking care of the children …. that is one of my agendas
What
OMG let’s have a beer
OMG! Yes! Corona? …No. Not the Chinese that we paid for already–the Mexican! (Sarcasm)
Help for the American people continues to be blocked by Republicans. So, your voting Dem next time?
Such a tired play. Both the Ds and Rs have voted to fund Ukraine. Both the Ds and the Rs are responsible for the lack of investment in the American people. I used to be a D, but then I woke up and realized that they are worse than Rs. Still not voting R, though I did last election. Third party is the way. RFK, Jr. has my vote.
Hahaha. That says a lot about you!
At this time RFK IS THE one for me!!
But I will be watching carefully just how he breaks on the slaughter in little BIG “I”
” I used to be a D ”
are you sure that you are not still a D ?
dude stop being a D.
hilarious you walked right into that one.
hey Rational Thinker, i don’t feature the Dems over the Reps nor vice-versa.
i always study the Independents but IMO they have fallen even more short than the Dems/Reps …. i do vote for my region’s local issues though – – dog-catcher and police-chief are important to a neighborhood.
edit = wait, yes the Dems seem to care about children more than the Reps do …. but maybe i have only been imagining that for the last 40 years.
Depends on who the candidates are…!!!!!!
I don’t understand why he couldn’t just print more money? (Sarcasm)
https://youtu.be/BWo0HvPpEtw?si=Sy3oRNNNFFZOKR43
The Administration and this article are hiding a major problem.
It is not just about arms. In fact, whatever we still have we can send, because we are so short.
It is two other things:
1) we don’t have arms to send, and can’t get more. Money won’t buy what does not exist.
2) A lot of money, A LOT, is not going to arms at all. It is going to pay for the Ukraine government, salaries and civilian operations. It needs about $5 billion/month, and right now there is nobody ready and able to pay that. At the end of this month, Ukraine’s paychecks bounce, and civilian services go unpaid.
Maybe more weapons can be found in storage of allies, such as South Korea’s artillery, or others like that. Money could buy that, with a lot of diplomatic help. But that won’t matter if the civilian paychecks bounce and Ukraine’s government is broke.
Going broke, bouncing checks, that is the problem, not just arms.
The EU just said they can’t make up that difference, it is too much money. Josep Borrell just refused.
The black market for everything is booming!!!!!
Mark? What are you doing? Don’t get our hopes for peace up like that. …Everyday I wake up I set very low expectations in case I develop any optimism for peace. I burry it deep to protect myself from the soon to follow disappointment. Nuland is still hard at work. She will find a way to crush all our dreams. Evil like that never sleeps! …I do appreciate you trying to cheer us up though. Thanks, man! (Sarcasm)
Well, yeah. Reality and neocon political control of America have been at odds for years, and this means it is getting worse.
At some point, reality intrudes. I can’t say when, but I can call out the reality.
Who rules? The people as employer or the employees as the representative of said employer? Who is the leader, who is the follower? Who is the parent, who is the child?
Flail, flop around, shuffle? Maybe. But scrambling? Nah.
Published reports and analyses on this war are wildly contradictory. For instance, on Daily Kos NATO and Ukraine are driving Russia out of the Black Sea. Other reports speak of a stalemate.
What I remember is that Ukrainians would have become German serfs had it not been for the death of millions of Russian soldiers. That fact cannot be denied.
And today Ukrainian and Russian workers are murdering one another. Ask not for what but for whom. Karl Marx gave us an answer.
How about ByeDone send the combined salaries of himself and all the other sewer-dwellers who initially voted to do so?
In perpetuity of course 😁
Biden isn’t doing anything. The unelected Complex does all that.
I’m not so sure getting all the good ole boys with pick-ups will be happy to go get deprogramed. Not so sure they would cum when called. Perhaps Hillary would like to lead a buses procession to pick them up. Best wear body armor if so.