


The Biden administration believes it will be able to provide Ukraine with one more military aid package before the end of the year, but that's it unless Congress acts.
Congress previously allocated money for the Department of Defense to spend on replacing military equipment from its stockpiles it sent to Ukraine, while lawmakers have been unable to pass a new supplemental package to continue aiding Ukraine into the new year.
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"We are still planning one more aid package to Ukraine later this month, however when that one's done, as the comptroller, [Michael] McCord, made clear in his note to Congress today, we will have no more replenishment authority," National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said on Monday, referring to a letter McCord sent to lawmakers about the situation. "We're going to need Congress to act without delay, as we have been saying."
He did not specify how much the aid package would be valued, when it will be announced, or what will be included in it.
“Ukraine still needs our help, and it’s well past time for Congress to act and stand up for freedom and democracy and our own national security interests, which are very much at play,” Kirby added.
The Biden administration has publicly reiterated its support for Ukraine while stressing to lawmakers the importance U.S. aid has on Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this month in an effort to assuage largely Republican concerns over continuing aid to his country.
President Joe Biden requested a supplemental package in October worth more than $100 billion with roughly $60 billion allocated for Ukraine, while Republicans have demanded the inclusion of funds for border security in any deal.
There have also been reports that the White House has offered to establish a new border expulsion law and increase mandatory detention rates as part of the negotiations, though the two sides have not yet been able to come to an agreement.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a supporter of the larger supplemental package that includes “credible” border policy changes, recently told reporters that getting the bill to the president's desk before the end of the year was unlikely.
“All I’ve said is it is practically impossible even if we reach an agreement to craft it and get it through the Senate and get it through the House before Christmas,” McConnell said last week. “It doesn’t mean it’s not important — even though we have been emphasizing the border, I want to remind everyone on the importance of Ukraine.”