Bennet, Costa, Colleagues Press Administration to Expedite Delivery of Ukraine Aid

About About Michael Legislation News Press Releases Social Media Newsletter Archive Services Priorities Top Issues Child Tax Credit Investing in Colorado Contact Español Acerca de Michael Escribe a Michael Prioridades Servicios Visitando D.C. Bennet, Costa, Colleagues Press Administration to Expedite Delivery of Ukraine Aid Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Congressman Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues on a letter demanding that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought explain the Trump administration’s delay in […] Nov 12, 2026 | Press Releases Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined U.S. Congressman Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and a bipartisan, bicameral group of colleagues on a letter demanding that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought explain the Trump administration’s delay in executing the $400 million Congress appropriated for Ukraine security assistance in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). The letter also urged the immediate acceleration of that delivery. “Ukraine’s armed forces need and deserve continued American support, and Congress has provided the resources to deliver it,” the lawmakers wrote. “We remain committed to supporting Ukraine’s defense and will continue to hold the Administration accountable for delivering these funds as Congress intended.” Congress appropriated $400 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) in the FY26 government funding bill, supported by bipartisan majorities. The Trump administration waited until the final days of FY26 to obligate the funds and have a slow delivery schedule that runs through FY29, according to the Pentagon’s own spend plan. In the letter, the lawmakers warned that slow delivery of support will undermine Ukraine’s self-defense heading into winter, as well as the credibility of American commitments and our collective ability to deter Russian aggression. The lawmakers urged the administration to: Provide a written explanation of why the funds were not obligated until the final days of the fiscal year, including any conditions or holds the Office of Management and Budget placed on their apportionment; Share a detailed delivery schedule, with the reasons delivery is projected to extend into FY29 and the steps the administration will take to accelerate it; Explain why PATRIOT interceptors were reportedly excluded from the package and whether future USAI funding can address Ukraine’s air defense needs; and Ensure OMB apportions and executes any FY27 USAI funding Congress provides promptly and without similar delay. Bennet has long supported the Ukrainian people’s fight against Putin aggression. Bennet leads legislation in the Senate intelligence and defense bills, both of which have passed their respective committees, to bolster intelligence and drone cooperation with Ukraine. Upon recent news of the Starshield and Starlink disruptions to Ukraine, Bennet demanded SpaceX restore full service and called for answers from SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Earlier this year, Bennet joined bipartisan colleagues to introduce and pass the Sanctioning Russia Act. He also sponsors legislation to impose sanctions on entities trading in Russian oil, to punish Russia’s systematic persecution of religious communities in Ukraine, and to repurpose frozen Russian sovereign assets held in the United States to support Ukraine, building on legislation he co-sponsored that former President Joe Biden signed into law in April 2024. Earlier this year, Bennet led a letter to Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent urging the Trump administration to crack down on a Russian state-backed cryptocurrency sanctions evasion network funding Putin’s war. In addition to Bennet and Costa, Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and John Cornyn (R-Texas); and by Representatives Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), Johnny Olszewski, Jr (D-Md.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), William Keating (D-Mass.), and Mary Scanlon (D-Pa.) signed the letter. The text of the letter is available HERE and below. Dear Secretary Hegseth and Director Vought: As Ukraine prepares for its fifth winter campaign since Russia’s full-scale invasion, timely American security assistance is critical