Official announcement from the U.S. Senate or reputable news sources

U.S. House Passes $895B Defense Budget, Excludes Lend-Lease for Ukraine, Focuses on AI Weapons and Russian Sovereignty

Dec 12, 2024, 10:17 AM

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the 2025 defense budget, amounting to $895 billion, with a vote of 281-140, but it did not include an extension of the lend-lease program for Ukraine, as confirmed by Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova. The budget includes provisions to prevent the recognition of Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territories, mandates an assessment of the impact of ending U.S. military aid to Ukraine, and calls for exploring AI weaponry collaboration with international partners, including Ukraine. Despite the omission of the lend-lease extension, the budget allocates $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) from the previous budget. The bill also addresses other key issues such as a 1% increase in defense spending, a significant pay raise for military personnel, and focuses on expanding U.S. military presence in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China's infrastructure development.