President Biden’s latest State of the Union priorities had not so much to do with the state of our troubled union, but more with his reluctance to aid another country.
Over the last few months, the White House waged an intense pressure campaign on House Republicans to approve the “Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024” in order, the president and his surrogates say, to “save Ukraine.”
Senior Biden officials have pushed the bill for months. In February, after Ukrainian forces had to withdraw from the heavily fortified city of Avdiivka, Biden directly blamed Congress. Last week, in a meeting at the White House with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Biden said Congress must pass the bill “before it is literally too late.” CIA Director Bill Burns told Congress that without the supplemental bill, Ukraine losses would be “significant,” which would be a “massive and historic mistake for the United States.”
So what does the bill really say? How much is designated for Ukraine? And how much might realistically be shipped to Ukraine in 2024?
What’s in the Bill?
Proponents claim the bill will provide embattled Ukraine with $60 billion worth of military aid. Apparently, few have bothered to read the document.
The supplemental bill provides funds through three main channels: the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Foreign Military Financing (FMF), and the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA).
The bill provides $13.8 billion for USAI until Sept. 30, 2025, or over the next two fiscal years, 2024 and 2025. FMF is allocated
