President Biden on Thursday said he’s confident the U.S. will have the necessary funding to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes” to fight invading Russian forces, despite skepticism in the GOP-led House about providing supplemental spending for the effort.
“I believe we’ll have the funding necessary to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Biden said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“And I believe that that support will be real, even though you hear some voices today on Capitol Hill about whether or not we should continue to support Ukraine and for how long,” Biden added.
Biden and White House officials have been adamant since Russia first invaded in February 2022 that the U.S. would stand with Ukraine for as long as it took to bring the war to an end. The U.S. has thus far allocated billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Kyiv.
Questions about enduring U.S. assistance have been back in the spotlight as the Ukrainians launch a long-anticipated counteroffensive.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday insisted the $886 billion in funding for the Department of Defense as part of a budget deal that raised the debt ceiling deal is not sufficient.
That view puts him at odds with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who on Monday spurned a bipartisan push by senators last week for a funding increase for Ukraine and other priorities.
As part of an agreement to push the debt ceiling package through the Senate quickly and avoid a default, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and McConnell agreed to work on a defense supplemental spending bill in the coming months.
Senate Republicans who were part of that push last week maintained that additional money for the Pentagon will be needed in the coming months.