US senators will get a classified briefing on Ukraine next Wednesday, according to a Senate aide.
The briefing comes as the administration is pushing for $37 billion more in aid to Ukraine, which could be folded into a year-end omnibus bill that must be approved before a Dec. 16 deadline to fund the government.
It’s still uncertain whether the administration will get a deal on a giant omnibus package or have to settle on a stop-gap resolution to fund federal agencies at last year’s levels — something the Pentagon has warned against.
Background on the funding: The Ukraine funding request is spread across four US government departments, according to a fact sheet shared last month with CNN. The funding would “ensure Ukraine has the funding, weapons, and support it needs to defend itself, and that vulnerable people continue to receive lifesaving aid,” according to a letter Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It also addresses the critical food and energy shortages caused by Russia’s invasion, she said.
The breakdown, according to the fact sheet, runs like this:
- $21.7 billion for the Department of Defense that will be spent on “equipment for Ukraine, replenishment of Department of Defense stocks, and for continued military, intelligence and other defense support.”
- $14.5 billion for the State Department for “direct budget support to Ukraine, critical war time investments, security assistance, to strengthen global food security, and for humanitarian assistance,”
- $626 million for the Department of Energy “for nuclear security support to Ukraine and for modernizing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve”
- $900 million for the Department of Health and Human Services “to provide standard assistance health care and support services to Ukrainian parolees.”
