The White House warns it will run out of money by the end of the year to keep sending Ukraine military aid unless Congress breaks a funding deadlock. But analysts and lawmakers say there’s a workaround that means the deadline isn’t quite so tight.
The tactic: Continue to provide arms from U.S. stockpiles in hopes of waiting until later for the money to replace them. According to Pentagon estimates, the U.S. can still send Ukraine military hardware valued at $4.6 billion under what’s called Presidential Drawdown Authority. Yet it only has $1 billion to buy new equipment to replace the old.
Sending Ukraine military equipment without a guarantee that it’ll be replaced soon is a risky strategy. But some lawmakers argue it means Ukraine won’t be truly threatened if Congress fails to agree to a White House request for new funding before lawmakers head off for the holidays at the end of the week.