Pentagon: Defense aid packages for Ukraine getting smaller
The U.S. government is continuing to provide military aid to Ukraine but the packages are getting smaller, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated in a press conference on Nov. 9.
"Allies and partners are continuing to support Ukraine, we are continuing to support Ukraine in what they need in their fight," Singh said. "You saw a package that we rolled out last week. We're going to continue to roll out packages, they just are getting smaller."
Earlier this week, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the U.S. has already spent 96% of the funds allocated for Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
Singh confirmed that the U.S. has "used up all of USAI [Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative] funding."
"We only have $1 billion left in existing resources to back fill U.S. stocks. We still do have a small amount of PDA left, but as you've seen, our packages have been getting smaller because we have had to meter out our support for Ukraine."
Funding to Ukraine has become a political controversy in the U.S. in recent weeks, with the Biden administration strongly backing continued support while partisan battles over aid rock the legislature.
The White House presented a broad funding package of $105 billion several weeks ago that tied together $61 billion in aid for Ukraine with around $14 billion for Israel, as well as other items.
This plan encountered opposition from House Republicans and recently appointed Speaker Mike Johnson, who said that backing Tel Aviv in its fight against Hamas takes priority and proposed a stand-alone funding bill for Israel.
Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-sponsored bill to provide emergency aid for Israel without sending any funds to Ukraine.
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