White House warns only enough Ukraine funding for ‘urgent battlefield needs’

The White House warned Monday that the U.S. has only enough cash to fulfill Ukraine’s “urgent battlefield needs” within the brief time period, after Congress left further funding for Ukraine out of a momentary measure to fund the U.S. executive.

The federal executive has about $6 billion left in army funding for Ukraine, in step with U.S. officers.

“It is enough to — for us to meet the — meet Ukraine’s urgent battlefield needs for a bit — for a bit longer,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated Monday.

About $5.4 billion of the funding is put aside to supply to supply guns and different army apparatus to Ukraine from current American shares, the officers stated. That cash resulted from an accounting error the Pentagon stated it fastened previous this yr, an reputable stated.

Another $1.6 billion stays from $25.9 billion Congress had prior to now supplied to refill the ones U.S. shares, the officers stated.

No cash stays in a program intended to assist Ukraine with long-term, new purchases of guns and different subject matter, referred to as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, the officers stated. And the U.S. has no cash left to supply further funding for Ukraine’s humanitarian, budgetary or financial wishes, an reputable stated.

The Pentagon has in contemporary days warned that cash is working low — and that Congress’s struggle over help had impacted the U.S. army, too.

“We have already been forced to slow down the replenishment of our own forces to hedge against an uncertain funding future,” Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord wrote to congressional leaders on Friday. “Failure to replenish our military services on a timely basis could harm our military’s readiness.”

President Joe Biden additionally cautioned on Sunday that “we have time, not much time, and there’s an overwhelming sense of urgency.”

His administration had asked for $24 billion more for Ukraine to cover the last three months of the calendar year. When Republicans signaled they would agree to extend government funding for just 45 more days – which Congress ultimately did — the White House said it needed $6 billion for that month-and-a-half.

But the short-term bill that kept the government funded through mid-November did not include any new money for Ukraine.

Taking questions about Congress narrowly averting a government shutdown over the weekend, Biden was asked if he was “going so to consider Speaker McCarthy when the following deal comes round.”

“We just made one about Ukraine,” Biden replied. “So, we’ll find out.”

But the president didn’t elaborate.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, has sought to oust McCarthy from his speakership and accused the Republican leader of striking a “secret side deal” with Biden over Ukraine funding.”

McCarthy on Monday denied that he minimize a maintain Biden to carry a vote on Ukraine help, however relatively stated he promised White House officers may just meet with congressional workforce to talk about the president’s request for extra help for Ukraine.

Jean-Pierre on Monday time and again declined to explain what deal Biden have been regarding, and even say if Biden and McCarthy had even made some kind of deal. She additionally declined to mention if the 2 had spoken prior to now two weeks about Ukraine help.

“When it relates to what the president said, I’m certainly not going to go beyond what he said,” Jean-Pierre advised ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce. “But what we know, what we know is that there’s bipartisan support for this deal.”

She stated McCarthy had spoken publicly “multiple times” on Sunday “saying that he wants to– he certainly wants to continue to– support for Ukraine, to get the weapons that they need.

“We’re gonna grasp him to that,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is one thing that he has stated. That is a dedication that he has made.”

ABC News’ Luis Martinez, John Parkinson and Lauren Peller contributed to this document.