Senator Murray Statement on Bipartisan Passage of Ukraine Funding

Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on the Senate voting 86-11 to send additional resources to Ukraine.

“Supporting Ukraine is a national security and humanitarian priority. We need to do everything we can to stop Russia’s brutal war crimes and unprovoked assault on a peaceful democratic nation,” said Senator Murray. “I want my constituents in Washington state with family or loved ones in Ukraine to know that this legislation will also get critical resources to support refugees. We have a moral obligation to protect human rights and it’s good that this legislation will help us follow through on that obligation in Ukraine.”

“Make no mistake, this emergency funding for Ukraine is badly-needed,” continued Senator Murray. “But we still desperately need more resources for vaccines, therapeutics and testing to keep our families safe and to be ready for whatever COVID-19 throws at us next. I’m going to keep pressing every single one of my colleagues to get this done—there is absolutely no reason we should be caught flat-footed by this pandemic because of a lack of resources.”

Below is a breakdown of investments included in the package:

• $6 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, to provide assistance, including training, equipment, weapons, logistics support, supplies and services, salaries and stipends,
• $9 billion to replenish U.S. stocks of equipment sent to Ukraine through drawdown authority.
• $4 billion to U.S. European Command for mission support, intelligence support, hardship pay for troops deployed to the region, and equipment including a Patriot battery. The bill also increases the cap on assistance that can be provided to friendly foreign nations from $450 million to $950 million.
• $600 million in Defense Production Act funding for faster missile production and expanded domestic capacity of strategic and critical minerals.

On the non-defense side $900 million is provided to the Administration for Children and Families to support Ukrainian refugees coming to the U.S., and $54 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for public health screening and services for refugees. Finally, $14 billion is provided mostly in direct economic support and funding to help purchase U.S. weapons and$4.4 billion for USAID, mainly for disaster assistance and food aid. 

A full summary of the Ukraine Supplemental bill can be found here.

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