Politico: Biden considering using State Department grants to bypass congressional inaction on Ukraine funding
President Joe Biden has reportedly considered alternative methods of funding that do not require congressional approval, Politico reported on Oct. 6.
The State Department program allows for the provision of grants or loans for allied countries to purchase military equipment, and could be a stopgap solution as the U.S. Congress continues to debate the inclusion of aid for Ukraine in forthcoming spending bills.
The use of State Department grants is among a number of options the Biden administration is considering to circumvent, at least temporarily, the impasse in Congress, unnamed sources in the U.S. government told Politico.
In order to prevent a government shutdown, Congress passed a short-term bill on Sept. 30 to keep the government running for another 45 days, but the bill did not include provisions for aid for Ukraine.
On Oct. 2, a Pentagon spokesman warned that money remaining from previously allocated funding packages was running out, which could cause disruptions to the flow of aid.
Most options to authorize new funding for Ukraine require approval from Congress, which is currently embroiled in the complicated process of selecting a replacement for outgoing Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Although there is relative unity within the U.S. Senate about the continuation of aid for Ukraine, including among Senate Republicans led by Sen. Mitch McConnell, the picture is less clear in the Republican-led House of Representatives.
