Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Fiscal Year 2022 Emergency Supplemental Funding
Dear Madam Speaker:
I am writing to provide you with my request for fiscal year (FY) 2022 emergency supplemental funding for critical security and economic assistance to Ukraine.
I appreciate the Congress’ continued bipartisan support for Ukraine, NATO, and other partner countries affected by Russia’s War in Ukraine. My Administration is committed to providing the Ukrainian people the assistance they need. Our assistance to date has made a difference on the battlefield, helping Ukraine win the battle for Kyiv. This $33.0 billion request for additional funding and authority builds on the Congress’ supplemental appropriation of $13.6 billion on March 15, 2022, and seeks to address immediate and near-term security and economic needs. Additional security assistance will put urgently needed equipment into the hands of Ukraine’s military and police, including ammunition, armored vehicles, small arms, demining assistance, and unmanned aircraft systems. Economic assistance will provide Direct Budget Support to provide rapid, flexible funds to assist the Government of Ukraine in responding to the immediate crisis and continue to provide basic citizen services. Additional food security and humanitarian assistance will provide wheat and other commodities to people in need, build countries’ resilience to global food supply and price shocks, and provide lifesaving aid to people displaced by or otherwise impacted by Russia’s War in Ukraine. Additionally, the request includes funding to support the production of United States food crops that are experiencing a global shortage due to the war in Ukraine, for example, wheat and soybeans helping to address rising food prices here at home and around the world. The request also would help increase domestic production for strategic minerals and materials produced in Russia or Ukraine and respond to global shortfalls and reduce price pressures. The request also outlines a number of authorities needed to support Ukraine, our European allies and partners, and address other emergent global needs. The details of this request are set forth in an enclosed addendum.
Though we expect our NATO allies and EU partners will be making even larger collective contributions than the United States, there is no doubt that continuing to support Ukraine in this war against Russian aggression will require a substantial additional investment on our part. What I want to make clear to the Congress and the American people is this: the cost of failing to stand up to violent aggression in Europe has always been higher than the cost of standing firm against such attacks. That is as it always has been, and as it always will be. America must meet this moment, and do its part.
In addition to the legislative proposals in this package, my Administration is also sending a proposal to the Congress to enhance the United States’ ability to hold Russia accountable financially for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. These proposals would strengthen our whole-of-government approach — along with those of our international partners — by providing for expanded and expedited measures for investigating, prosecuting, and forfeiting assets of Russian oligarchs to be used for the benefit of Ukraine.
Finally, I also appreciate the Congress’ bipartisan support for ensuring we can continue to provide the American people with the tools they need to protect themselves from COVID-19, and again urge the Congress to act promptly to provide the $22.5 billion I requested on March 2, 2022. Without additional funding, we are unable to purchase additional life-saving treatments for the American people, and we are losing our spot in line to other countries for vaccines that may provide better and more durable protection against multiple variants. We also must stop the spread of possible new variants from around the world as every COVID variant has emerged from overseas. We have to keep vaccinating the world to save lives here at home and protect our economy from further supply chain disruptions, but we need funding to help get shots into arms. To avoid needless deaths in the United States and around the world, I urge the Congress to include this much needed, life-saving COVID funding as part of this supplemental funding request.
I urge the Congress to address these critical and urgent needs promptly. The amounts included in this request are requested to be designated by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1) and section 4001(b) of S. Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget for FY 2022.
Sincerely,
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
