WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 12: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the FY2027 budget request in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration is asking for an unprecedented $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, an increase of 50-percent over last year's budget. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of senators is pushing back on delays by the Department of Defense in sending roughly $600 million in security aid to Ukraine and other allies in eastern Europe. They sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday that calls for the funding to be disbursed. Friction has grown between Congress and the Trump administration in recent weeks as lawmakers push for updates on what has happened with $400 million in Ukraine aid and $200 million more for defense programs in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that was allocated by Congress last year. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley led the letter. Republican Sens. Kevin Cramer and Thom Tillis, as well as Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and Catherine Cortez Masto also signed it.
(Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
