US Senate greenlights 2026 military spending, Ukraine funding revealed
The US Senate and House of Representatives must now agree on the final version of the document (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
On Thursday, September 9, the US Senate approved the country’s military spending for the 2026 fiscal year, which includes $500 million in aid to Ukraine, according to Bloomberg, CNN, Fox News, and other media outlets.
Media reports note that the defense policy bill was delayed as senators addressed other priority matters, including votes on reopening the government.
However, on September 9, the bill was passed. It was approved by a vote of 77 to 20 and is considered mandatory, as it authorizes payments for the military, military construction projects, weapons development, and geostrategic policy.
Specifically, the bill provides for the extension of the US Assistance to Ukraine Initiative (USAI) through 2028 and also an increase in funding for the program to $500 million.
In September, the US House of Representatives passed its own version of the package, which included several contentious provisions supported by the Republican Party. According to CNN, the Senate version contains fewer political issues.
Now that the Senate has passed its package, the House and Senate will move to a conference committee to reconcile differences between the two versions. The final version must be approved by both chambers by the end of 2025.
US changes its approach to aid for Ukraine
In August, the US State Department approved a potential sale to Ukraine of services for the repair and support of M777 artillery howitzers, as well as transportation and consolidation services, totaling $203.5 million.
After Trump came to power, the US effectively scaled back military aid to Ukraine. Now, the PURL mechanism has been implemented, under which NATO funds military supplies to Ukraine.
In particular, on September 16, it became known that the Trump administration approved the first two packages of military assistance to Ukraine financed by NATO. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby clarified that these involve two shipments of weapons worth $500 million.
Additionally, the US recently experienced a government shutdown. According to The Telegraph, this could temporarily freeze Ukrainian-American negotiations on arms deliveries.
