Congress is on recess until Sept. 9, but advocates for U.S. foreign aid hope that lawmakers could enact a mechanism to extend the funding into the next fiscal year and save it.
(MORE: Over GOP objections, Senate passes 2-year, $2.7T budget deal backed by Trump)
The continued fight over foreign aid has also hit the Pentagon, where the White House put a hold on $250 million of military assistance to Ukraine. That decision also sparked outrage among lawmakers, who said pulling the funding would undermine the country’s new president and work to help Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Enough is enough. President Trump should stop worrying about disappointing Vladimir Putin and stand up for U.S. national security priorities,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We have a responsibility to help Ukraine defend its sovereignty and deter Russia from further aggression.”
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin hold a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017.
The Pentagon has reviewed the funds and concluded that it should continue, a U.S. official confirmed to ABC News.
But the decision now rests with the White House. A State Department official declined to discuss internal deliberations and deferred questions to the White House. OMB did not respond to requests for comment.
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Despite the review, officials said the administration’s Ukraine policy hasn’t changed, pointing to National Security Adviser John Bolton’s visit to Kyiv this week. Bolton met President Volodymyr Zelensky, a television star and comedian elected president in April, and reiterated support for him and Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing illegal occupation of Crimea and support for militant groups in eastern Ukraine.
The administration has committed more than $1.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine in response to that aggression, including lethal weapons that Trump agreed to provide that his predecessor, President Barack Obama declined to, as well as capabilities to better secure its borders and ensure cooperation with NATO.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
