Explainer-What's at stake in the US Congress' debate over Ukraine aid?

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster heightened the uncertainty in Congress over aid to Ukraine, days after lawmakers included no new money for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government in a major spending bill.

HOW MUCH U.S. MONEY IS STILL AVAILABLE?

Congress has approved $113 billion in military, economic and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022, according to the Congressional Research Service.

A U.S. official said this week the Defense Department had $1.6 billion left to replace weapons sent to Ukraine, no funds left under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and $5.4 billion worth of Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows President Joe Biden, a Democrat, to dip into U.S. defense stocks to arm Ukraine.

The USAI allows the Biden administration to buy weapons from industry rather than pull from U.S. weapons stocks.

WHY IS CONGRESS DEBATING WHETHER TO CONTINUE UKRAINE AID?

While public opinion polls show that most Americans still back aid for Ukraine, that support is eroding.

A relatively small but vocal group of Republicans has criticized Ukraine assistance from the start, accusing the government in Kyiv of failing to sufficiently fight corruption, which Ukrainian and U.S. officials deny. They also argue that as the United States faces steep budget deficits, the federal government should be spending money at home or to boost its ability to compete with China.

Many of these Republicans are closely tied to former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner to be the party's nominee in the 2024 election. Trump, who was impeached in 2019 for holding up Ukraine aide to pressure Zelenskiy to help him politically, has said he would end the war in 24 hours if he wins and that the fight is more important for Europe than the United States.

HOW LIKELY IS THE UNITED STATES TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING UKRAINE AT THE SAME LEVEL GOING FORWARD?

The picture is not clear in the House of Representatives, where McCarthy was ousted on Tuesday partly over his willingness to compromise with Democrats on some legislation.

There was no immediate indication of who might succeed McCarthy, but the next speaker could quash more Ukraine aid before a proposal reaches the House floor if that person opposes the idea.

And some of the leading candidates to become the leader of the Republicans in the House have opposed Biden's requests for aid.

Democrats, who strongly support aid to Ukraine, insist that Congress will back continued assistance. Many Senate Republicans, including influential figures like Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, also say so.

HOW MIGHT THIS GET RESOLVED?

There are a couple of ways that additional aid for Ukraine could become law.

It could be included in a larger spending bill, which Congress must pass later this year to avoid a shutdown. The measure passed on Saturday provides spending only until mid-November. Or it could be offered as a separate spending bill, either on its own, or combined with more money for border security.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Mike Stone and Rick Cowan; Editing by Don Durfee and Howard Goller)