White House in talks with Congress to "save" $6B in aid to Ukraine - media
This was reported by Reuters with reference to sources familiar with the matter, Ukrinform saw.
"U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is engaged in urgent discussions with Congress to allow it to use up $6 billion in military aid for Ukraine before a Sept. 30 deadline," sources said.
The Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), a key component of a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine approved by Congress in April, allows the president to transfer defense articles and services from the country's stockpiles in response to emergencies.
PDA has been the primary mechanism used by the Biden administration to deliver weapons to Ukraine.
However, most of the $7.8 billion in PDA in the bill Biden signed into law in April has not been used, leaving officials scrambling to find a way to keep the remaining $6 billion from expiring as the Sept. 30 deadline - the end of the 2024 fiscal year - approaches.
Sources close to the negotiations said the U.S. State Department hopes to attach an extension of the PDA authorities to a short-term emergency spending bill that the Senate and House of Representatives must pass this month to avoid a government shutdown on September 30.
According to Reuters, congressional aides insist that a solution will be found given Ukraine's strong bipartisan support.
As Ukrinform reported, several US public associations immediately appealed to the State Department to use the remaining 6.2 billion dollars for aid to Ukraine, which are still available within the presidential powers, but only until the end of the budget year, which expires on September 30. The U.S. fiscal year for the federal government runs from October 1 to September 30.
