Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said $400 million in Ukraine support was released after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) penned an angry op-ed criticizing the stall in funding.
“The department recognizes that $400 million was allocated for European capacity building, and as of yesterday, it has been released,” Hegseth said in response to a question about the aid from Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.).
Elfreth followed up to ask whether the money was released under contract.
Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III said the aid was “not under contract, but released to be put under contract.”
When pressed by Elfreth on when the money would be able to be used on the ground in Ukraine, the comptroller said, “That depends on what they buy with the money.”
“We’re going to take the advice of the EUCOM commanders, we employ those funds for best use,” he added, referring to U.S. European Command.
Throughout her line of questioning, Elfreth cited McConnell’s anger that the bipartisan funding was not released sooner.
“Despite some public belittling, Ukraine has stepped up perhaps more than any other ally for us in the Middle East,” the Maryland representative said at the start of her questioning.
“They’re harnessing the superiority that they have generated from a hard fought war with Russia. They are intercepting Iranian drones that threaten us and partner forces in the Middle East,” she added.
McConnell originally blamed the delay on Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of Defense for policy, who he accused of stonewalling lawmakers inquiring about the delayed funding after reportedly suspending arms shipments to Ukraine last year.
The former Senate Republican leader said it wasn’t the first time that happened.
“Colby also determined that security assistance to Ukraine and America’s NATO allies in the Baltics was ‘wasteful’ and removed these long-standing efforts from the fiscal 2026 budget request,” McConnell noted in his op-ed.
The Senate late last year passed the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026, which provided $400 million for Ukraine in 2026 and another $400 million in 2027 through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
The funding was intended to pay for the production of high-priority weapons by American companies for Ukraine’s armed forces.
Filip Timotija contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
