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4w ago

Bipartisan Senators Press Pentagon to Release $600 Million in Security Aid

Lawmakers warn the missed spending plan and delays could weaken U.S. deterrence in Europe.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense hearing on the budget request for the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
FILE - Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., speaks as Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, listens during an oversight hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
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WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the FY2027 budget request in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration is asking for an unprecedented $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, an increase of 50-percent over last year's budget. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Overview

  • A group of Republican and Democratic senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding that the Pentagon disburse $600 million in pre-approved security assistance and provide the overdue spending plan.
  • The package consists of $400 million earmarked for Ukraine and $200 million for defense programs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that Congress allocated in last year’s defense law.
  • The Pentagon previously told lawmakers the $400 million for Ukraine had been “released” and promised a spending plan, but senators say the department missed the promised delivery of that plan.
  • Senators said further delays, along with reported U.S. troop posture changes and the recent firing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, could erode deterrence and have alarmed some Republican lawmakers.
  • Lawmakers are debating other measures to support Ukraine, including a House Democratic proposal for $1 billion in aid, while the Pentagon’s draft FY27 budget appears to leave out the USAI purchasing line that transfers U.S.-made equipment to partners, which could create a future funding gap.