Politics & Government

The White House is asking Congress for another $37.7 billion for Ukraine

By NPR Washington Desk

Published November 15, 2022 at 3:13 PM CST

The White House, as seen on July 30, 2022.

The White House is asking Congress for a total of $47.7 billion in emergency funding as part of a spending bill that Congress is expected to consider before a Dec. 16 deadline for a new government funding package.

The White House wants another $37.7 billion for Ukraine

The request includes:

$21.7 billion for weapons and equipment;

$14.5 billion for direct budget support to Ukraine and humanitarian aid;

$900 million for health care and support to Ukraine refugees;

$626 million for nuclear security support to Ukraine and for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The request comes as polls show aid falling out of favor with some Republicans. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, White House budget director Shalanda Young said the aid has been critical for Ukraine in its fight against Moscow's invasion. "We cannot let that support run dry," Young said in the letter.

The last funding package that Congress passed in September included $12 billion in Ukraine, three-quarters of which has already been spent or committed, with more disbursements expected by the end of the year. Earlier, in May, Congress approved about $40 billion in Ukraine aid.

The White House wants $9.25 billion for COVID funding

The money would prepare for a possible winter surge of cases, research and development, and the global vaccine effort. The White House is also asking for an additional $750 million to rebuild the stockpile of smallpox vaccines, and for HIV prevention.

The White House had asked for $22.4 billion in COVID funding in March and September, but was denied.

"While COVID-19 is no longer the disruptive force it was when the president took office, we face the emergence of new subvariants in the United States and around the world that have the potential to cause a surge of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, particularly as we head into the winter months — a time when viruses like COVID-19 spread more quickly," Young wrote to Pelosi.

More disaster relief is also needed, the White House says

The Office of Management and Budget also plans to ask Congress for more money to help pay for recent natural disasters in Florida and Puerto Rico, and for other communities affected by fires, flooding and drought, Young said in her letter to Pelosi. The OMB is still working to refine the size of that request, she said.