Here’s what Pelosi plans to do…
On Monday (February 28), White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA.) promised Congress would approve as much funding as was needed by Ukraine as Russia continues its unproved assault on Ukraine’s Kyiv.
So far, the Biden administration has requested an additional $6.4 billion in new spending to assist Ukraine with the financial aid necessary to enhance the nation’s military defenses and support the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by Russian troops moving en masse toward Ukraine’s Capital, Kyiv.
Stopping short of endorsing Biden’s $6.4 billion funding request, Pelosi highlighted the government was poised to provide Ukraine with the emergency funds quickly.
Addressing reporters in the Capitol, Pelosi was measured in her comments about Biden’s $6.4 billion funding request, instead saying, “We’ll have to see what the need is and whatever it is, we’ll support it.”
The Biden administration’s request for $6.4 billion divides the funds into two critical segments: $3.5 Billion would be allocated to new military spending. The $2.9 billion that remains would go toward the State Department, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, which would provide assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
A few lawmakers want to combine the administration’s emergency spending bill with a comprehensive bill to fund the government until the fiscal year ends on October 1, 2022.
Currently, the government is being funded by a wave of continuing resolutions, which carries on the previous funding bill until a new government funding government bill can be reached.
The current bill has been extended through March 11. Those who support the larger bill see adding the $6.4 billion to the larger bill as an opportunity to make the bill more appealing and stave off a potential government shutdown.
When Pelosi was asked about the timing of the emergency spending vote, the Californian Democrat was hesitant to commit to a timeframe, choosing instead to say, “We can’t vote until we have a number,” before adding, “We’ll see what the president has to say tomorrow [March 1] night.”
