Congressional lawmakers are pushing back against recent cuts to Ukraine assistance, with the Senate Armed Services Committee voting Thursday to authorize $750 million in continued military aid for the war-torn nation.
The committee’s version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act would extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds American companies to manufacture weapons for Ukrainian forces battling the Russian invasion. Sources familiar with the legislation told Reuters the bill also contains a provision changing the Pentagon’s official name from Department of Defense to Department of War.
The Republican-controlled committee finished work on the NDAA, the yearly legislation that sets Pentagon policy and funding priorities. The comprehensive measure supports $1.15 trillion in total defense spending and covers everything from military equipment purchases to service member pay increases and responses to global security challenges.
Thursday’s Senate proposal includes language preventing any authorized funds from being used to recognize Russian sovereignty over Ukrainian territory that is internationally recognized as belonging to Ukraine. The bill also directs the Pentagon to provide intelligence assistance to Ukrainian officials for military operations aimed at defending or reclaiming occupied areas.
The Senate committee released their legislation one week following House passage of separate measures providing Ukrainian aid and implementing additional Russian sanctions.
Regarding weapons and equipment, the Senate bill grants multi-year purchasing authority for various munitions and military systems, including Boeing’s F-15EX fighters and Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft.
The proposed legislation still faces multiple hurdles before potentially becoming law. Both the complete House and Senate must separately approve their respective committee versions. Following that, representatives from both chambers must negotiate a unified compromise bill, which would then require passage in both the House and Senate before reaching the White House for presidential action.
The House committee’s NDAA version similarly endorsed the administration’s proposal to rename the Department of Defense to Department of War, despite Democratic opposition to the change.
Although bipartisan congressional support for Ukraine remained strong during the initial period following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, some of the administration’s closest Republican supporters in House and Senate leadership have shown decreased enthusiasm for Ukrainian assistance since January 2025.
American aid to Ukraine has decreased significantly even as both nations continue exchanging missile, drone, and artillery attacks. Diplomatic efforts remain deadlocked, with Ukrainian officials rejecting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demands for territorial concessions of areas Ukraine has successfully defended since 2022.
