WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine and Israel both urgently need the military weapons held up by Congress’s inability to pass a funding package for the two countries at war, Pentagon leaders told reporters Wednesday. owners of the House of Representatives, calling the situation in Ukraine dire.
“Whether it’s munitions, whether it’s vehicles, whether it’s platforms,” Ukraine is being outmatched by the Russians, Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’ll just tell you. Ukraine is currently facing some dire battlefield conditions.”
Minister of Defence Lloyd Austinseated next to Brown, told lawmakers that time matters.
“We are already seeing things starting to shift a little bit in Russia’s favor on the battlefield. We see them making incremental gains. We see that the Ukrainians are being challenged when it comes to holding the line,” he said.
Their stark assessment came as Republicans in the House of Representatives argued over the $95 billion foreign aid bill the Senate passed in February. That legislation provides funding for Ukraine, Israel and other allies, as well as humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and Ukraine and replenishment money for the U.S. military to replace weapons sent to Ukraine.
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday headed toward votes later this week on funding even as he risks losing his leadership position in the bitterly divided Republican Party.
President Joe Biden urged Congress to approve the aid, saying it would provide “much-needed humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza” in addition to critical support for Israel and Ukraine. He said he would immediately sign the financing package, sending the message that “we will not let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Members of the House panel lamented the impasse that has stalled foreign aid, but several members said they are hopeful the legislation will move.
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., last week noted “chilling” comments from Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. military commander for Europe. He told the committee that Ukraine will be defeated ten to one by Russia within weeks if Congress does not approve the funding.
“Without the help of the United States, Ukraine will literally run out of ammunition and more civilians in Ukraine will be murdered by Russia,” McCollum said.
Brown told lawmakers that Israel also urgently needs support in the bill, including air defense interceptors and munitions to defend itself after last weekend’s Iranian attack. Iran launched about 300 missiles and drones toward Israel on Saturday, but the vast majority were shot down by Israeli defenses or by the US and other allies. The attack came less than two weeks after a suspected Israeli attack in Syria killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.
Israel has vowed to retaliate as the US and other allies urge restraint.
The funding issue dominated the hearing, including its impact on U.S. military and defense companies across 30 states. Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord said the Defense Department has already spent about $2 billion on military operations in Europe and the Middle East to ensure troops and allies there are safe.
Part of that includes the relocation of naval vessels to help protect Israel this weekend and the expanded deployment of ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to protect commercial and military vessels targeted by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Without the additional funding, McCord said the $2 billion would have to be absorbed by the base budget and shifted from other spending on things like facilities and equipment maintenance.
“So there is also an impact on our armed forces and our readiness if we don’t get the additional approval,” he said.
Austin also reiterated a selling point that defense leaders have made to lawmakers in recent months: The funding bill will directly help the U.S. defense industry that builds Abrams tanks, ammunition and other weapons and equipment.
He said about $50 billion in additional resources will flow through the defense industrial base “creating good American jobs in more than 30 states.”
