Congress reaches deal on billions in Ukraine aid

Congressional leaders have reached a deal to provide roughly $14 billion in Ukraine-related aid, which they expect to include in a massive government funding package.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced the deal, which will include humanitarian assistance and military aid in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

“Where we’ve ended up is at $14 billion,” McConnell said. 

An aide confirmed there was a deal but tagged the figure closer to $13.5 billion. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) told reporters it would be “a little less than” $14 billion.  

The spending is being dropped into a massive government funding package that congressional leaders are aiming to unveil on Tuesday. 

The spending is higher than the $6.5 billion initially requested by the administration and the $10 billion in the White House’s formal request to Congress. 

But congressional leaders had signaled they were likely to build on that, in part to give the administration more flexibility in providing additional assistance to Ukraine. The final deal is even higher than the $12 billion floated by Schumer on Monday. 

Even as the figure steadily ballooned, McConnell knocked Democrats accusing them of wanting to decrease security assistance and loan guarantees to Eastern European allies.

“It’s been like pulling teeth,” McConnell said. 

McConnell said he expected loan guarantees would be in the government funding bill.

Congress needs to pass the government funding bill and have President Biden sign it by the end of Friday in order to prevent a government shutdown.  

Congressional leaders decided to attach the Ukraine aid to the government funding bill in order to speed up its path through Capitol Hill, but are also hopeful of the opposite — that attaching the Ukraine package will help shore up support for the larger funding bill. 

“The quickest way to get this done is through the omnibus,” Schumer said about GOP criticism that the aid had moved too slowly.