The Biden-Harris administration has notified Congress of its intention to forgive $4.65 billion in loans that were given to Ukraine earlier this year.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, confirmed that the Biden-Harris administration intends to forgive approximately half of the economic loan that the U.S. provided to Ukraine in April.
According to Miller, the necessary action has been taken as prescribed by the law to cancel those loans and extend economic assistance to Ukraine.
According to Fox News, Congress has approved a bill that grants Ukraine $60 billion in aid to assist them in their battle against the Russian invasion. Miller clarified on Wednesday that $9 billion of the aid was granted as a loan, with a provision that permits the Biden-Harris administration to potentially forgive it.
Miller suggests that even if the Biden-Harris administration proceeds with its intention to forgive Ukraine’s debt to the United States, Congress would retain the ability to pass a resolution in order to reverse this decision.
According to Fox News, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) brought forth a resolution on Wednesday night to block the aid. Additionally, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has expressed intentions to introduce a resolution in the U.S. Senate that would prevent the loan forgiveness.
According to a report, President Biden has given Ukraine permission to utilize long-range missiles against Russian territory.
In a recent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Representative Massie criticized President Joe Biden’s attempt to forgive $4.65 billion of debt that Ukraine owes to American taxpayers. Massie expressed his opposition to what he referred to as an “America Last” policy and introduced H.J.Res 224 to put a halt to this initiative.
Fox News reports that the Democratic-led Senate is unlikely to pass a resolution that blocks the Biden-Harris administration’s debt forgiveness plan for Ukraine. In the event that the resolution does pass Congress, President Joe Biden retains the authority to veto it.
According to Fox News, Congress has provided Ukraine with more than $175 billion in funding since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022.
After President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the Biden-Harris administration has implemented several measures to bolster Ukraine’s support in its ongoing battle against Russia. In a recent development, President Biden has granted Ukraine permission to utilize long-range missiles supplied by the United States to target Russian territory.
Furthermore, just a few days later, President Biden also authorized Ukraine to deploy anti-personnel land mines. These decisions signify a significant shift in the United States’ stance towards Ukraine and its efforts to counter Russian aggression.
According to Fox News, Biden has also stated his intention to complete the distribution of approximately $7 billion in Ukrainian funding before Trump’s inauguration in January.