Congress returned to session on Monday with a short window of time to pass a landmark government funding bill until Dec. 16.
Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi detailing $37.7 billion in aid to Ukraine, $10 billion for Covid-19, and an unspecified amount for disaster relief. CNN has learned that the $37.7 billion grant is divided among four US government agencies.
Young wrote to Pelosi that the request would “ensure that Ukraine has the funding, weapons, and support it needs to defend itself and that people at risk will continue to receive life-saving assistance.” The order also addresses severe global food and energy shortages caused by the Russian invasion.
For the Department of Defense, the amount includes $21.7, which will be used for “equipment for Ukraine, DoD replenishment, and ongoing military, intelligence, and defense support.”
They will provide $14.5 billion to the State Department for “direct budgetary support to Ukraine, critical wartime investments, security assistance, strengthening global food security, and humanitarian assistance.”
Previous aid to Ukraine “was always through the end of this calendar year,” a senior administration official told reporters, and Young wrote to Pelosi that “about three-quarters of the money previously provided by Congress has been disbursed or committed, and more is expected by the end of the year.”
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