U.S. Congress fails to approve $300M in Ukraine aid in defense budget – media
On June 13, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the defense spending bill for fiscal year 2026. However, Republicans and Democrats failed to pass an amendment for an additional $300 million in security assistance for Ukraine.
This was reported by Breaking Defense, according to Censor.NET.
The committee’s proposed version of the defense spending bill totals $832 billion, unchanged from the FY2025 budget.
However, there is potential for the total spending to rise to $1 trillion through the use of unspent funds originally allocated for other purposes.
The draft bill includes:
- $13 billion for missile defense and space programs, including initiatives related to the Iron Dome system;
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$8.5 billion for the purchase of 69 F-35 fighter jets;
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$36.9 billion for shipbuilding, including two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers not included in the Pentagon’s current plans.
Meanwhile, Representative Marcy Kaptur (a Democrat from Ohio), proposed an amendment to allocate an additional $300 million in security assistance for Ukraine, but the amendment failed to pass a vote.
Committee Chair Tom Cole explained that including aid for Ukraine could jeopardize the approval of the entire defense budget, as some Republicans would then vote against it.
At the same time, he noted that Democrats are unlikely to support the defense bill due to the conservative policy measures included in it.
"I say this as someone who has consistently supported Ukraine. I authored the bill for the largest aid package, and my opinion hasn’t changed. But politics is a practical matter. I want to pass the defense bill, and I’m not interested in splitting the coalition that supports it," the congressman explained.
