Austin, Blinken ask Congress for Ukraine money by May 19
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have asked Congress to pass additional appropriations in order to further assist U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine by May 19. In a letter to House and Senate leadership shared with The Hill, Austin and Blinken said the administration needs the money by then “if we are to continue are security assistance at the current pace.” The officials said that they expected the $3.5 billion in drawdown authority that was passed in March as part of the $1.5 trillion government funding bill to be exhausted later this month. “In short, we need your help. The ability to draw upon existing DoD [Department of Defense] stocks has been a critical tool in our efforts to support the Ukrainians in their fight against Russian aggression, allowing us to quickly source equipment and ensure a sustained flow of security assistance to Ukraine,” the officials wrote. “As a result, we urge you to act quickly on the Administration’s request for supple...