Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young attends remarks by unrepresented U. S. President Joe Biden on new moves toward home chains, in the Indian Treaty Room of the White House in Washington, D. C. , on Nov. 27, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
President Joe Biden’s budget director warned Monday that the U. S. will run out of resources for Ukraine until the end of the year as the White House seeks to pressure lawmakers to adopt an emergency funding plan.
“There is no magic fund to meet this moment,” Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. “We’ve run out of cash and almost no time. “
A failure to act, Young warned, would “kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories.”
Aid to Ukraine has become a hot topic on Capitol Hill, with new House Speaker Mike Johnson insisting that any additional aid is contingent on adjustments to immigration policy. Johnson said Monday that Biden’s administration has failed to address “legitimate considerations by House Republicans about the lack of a transparent strategy in Ukraine, a path to conflict, or a plan to adequately ensure accountability for aid provided through American taxpayers. “
In an article on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Johnson said any additional investment in national security “must start at our own border. “
“All problems can be solved if Senate Democrats and the White House negotiate reasonably,” he added.
The White House is seeking more than $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, as a component of a roughly $105 billion package that would also include investments for Israel’s war against Hamas, the U. S. allies in the Pacific, as well as cash. to space and process undocumented immigrants along the border with Mexico.
Republicans hope that the fight against investment in Ukraine can serve as a lever for access to asylum for those entering the United States. But negotiations on a far-reaching immigration deal have yet to produce results, and the Senate is preparing to go on Christmas recess. December 15th. . .