Exclusive: The U.S. government has spent at least $113 million on the Ukraine war, but the Pentagon estimates that the total could be much higher when considering the cost of replacing weapons and ammunition sent to Kiev. This was revealed on Fox News Digital.
Fox News Digital first reported in September that the United States had spent a total of $101 billion on the war. Since September, the United States has spent at least an additional $13 billion, according to a letter sent to Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) from the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Sharanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, disclosed some of the spending in a letter to Vance obtained by Fox News Digital.
US sends $300 million in weapons to Ukraine despite lacking funds to replenish its own stockpile
On February 20, 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Biden shake hands at the Mariinsky Palace during an unannounced visit to Kiev, Ukraine. (Evan Vucci/Pool, via Reuters)
Young said Congress provided $111 billion in additional funding in response to the Ukraine war, including “lifesaving, economic, and humanitarian assistance through four supplemental appropriations acts.”
Young also acknowledged that there was an additional $2.4 billion in “shift-based” funds that were “obviously not intended to complement Ukraine” and were “excluded” from the total estimate she provided.
Young sent Vance a spreadsheet showing a breakdown of the funds, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
Young said the total “includes funds that are not going directly to Ukraine but are being used to assist Ukraine, so different numbers may be used for U.S. aid to Ukraine.” There is,” he said.
In addition to the additional funding package, Young said, “out of regular appropriations,” the State Department and USAID provided $145 million and $189 million in fiscal years 2022 and 2023, respectively. The funds were earmarked for “core activities such as global health and continued funding for the embassy’s operations.”
Young also revealed that the country and USAID “reprogrammed approximately $350 million of prior year balances to assist Ukraine.”
People familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Young’s letter was the first to reveal funds to Ukraine.
Flashback: White House confirms spending more than $100 billion on Ukraine war
“We are at a critical juncture in our efforts to assist Ukraine, as Russia seeks to deplete what it sees as a dwindling supply of artillery and air defense ammunition to Ukraine,” Young wrote. Ta. “We are already seeing the impact of delays in aid on the battlefield, with Ukraine recently being forced to withdraw from the town of Avdiivka due to lack of supplies.”
“Russia stands to gain even more without a rapid infusion of U.S.-funded or supplied munitions and equipment,” Young said.
“The continued support of the United States is absolutely essential if Ukraine is to succeed in defending its freedoms and safeguarding the security of Europe,” he added. “Departments have been doing what they can with limited resources to continue supporting Ukraine in the absence of additional additional funding, but these limited resources cannot meet Ukraine’s critical needs in 2024. There is not enough to meet the demand, and if left as is, it will be advantageous for the Russian army. ”
$10 billion in Ukraine aid hole
The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that it is notifying Congress of $25.85 billion in funds needed to replace funds sent to Ukraine through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) starting in 2022.
Under the PDA, the United States sends munitions from the Pentagon’s stockpile overseas, and the process is used to aid Ukraine. This process would be faster than buying new weapons for Ukraine, but it would also deplete U.S. stockpiles.
The Pentagon has asked Congress for an additional $10 billion, saying it is needed to replenish stocks already sent to Ukraine.
“However, more than $10 billion in additional funding is needed to replace the remaining Department of Defense stocks and services that have been taken out for Ukraine but have not yet been replaced,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Told. “PDA exchange balances of over $10 billion reflect exchange costs and are distinct from the President’s drawdown authority.”
“The cost of replacement items is almost always higher than the net book value of the old item being replaced,” the spokesperson explained.
“For example, a munitions company procures two munitions of the same type for Ukraine, one from 20 years ago and one from 3 years ago.The value of munitions 20 years ago was 3. “It’s significantly lower than the value of munitions from a year ago. It’s munitions from a year ago,” the spokesperson explained. “However, the cost to replace these ammunition is the same. Both must be replaced with new production ammunition from the same production line.”
The Biden administration has the authority to send an additional $4.1 billion in drawdown aid, $300 million of which was used by the Pentagon this month to aid Ukraine. The aid package is the first of its kind to Ukraine since December, when the Pentagon said it would need at least $10 billion to replenish its arsenal of weapons to help Kiev, and supplies are running low. This is the first time since December when he admitted that. This is in addition to the $900 million already spent by the Department of Defense.
Mr. Vance accused the Biden administration of covering up the true cost of the war on the backs of American taxpayers.
“The Biden administration has consistently taken steps to obfuscate the cost of supporting the war in Ukraine,” a spokesperson for Vance told Fox News Digital. “The reality is that this conflict is far more costly to American taxpayers than its supporters have previously acknowledged because European countries are not doing their part.
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“The massive Ukraine amendment, passed over the objections of most Senate Republicans, will make this problem worse, not better.”
Last year, the Pentagon requested an additional $6 billion, citing accounting errors. Mr. Vance and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri); Law introduced Immediately to prevent such mistakes from being repeated.
The bill comes after the Pentagon admitted it had overestimated the value of weapons sent to Ukraine over the past two years by $6.2 billion, about twice the original estimate.
