Denver — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, joined Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.) on a bipartisan letter demanding that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth immediately release stalled Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding for Ukraine and the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI), a Department of Defense program to bolster the defense capabilities of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
“We write to follow up on bipartisan concerns recently expressed in Congressional hearings about seemingly stalled disbursement of key Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 defense appropriations. Specifically, we urge you to obligate Congressionally appropriated FY26 funds in Public Law 119-75 for Ukraine and the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) without any further delay,” wrote the senators.
“Ukraine has persistently and bravely repelled a four-year Russian onslaught, but its military needs and deserves continued American support,” continued the senators. “The $400 million in security assistance for Ukraine that was included in the FY26 defense appropriations bill should be disbursed immediately.”
“Congress has repeatedly supported strong assistance for the Baltic States. These front-line NATO allies have a powerful memory of living under the Soviet yoke […] They also are the targets of sustained Russian belligerence, threats, and sabotage. In fact, a Russian testing of NATO might very well start in the Baltics. As such, Congress appropriated $200 million in the FY26 defense appropriations bill for the BSI, which was codified in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 119-60), funds we similarly expect to be released without delay,” wrote the senators.
“Any further delays—particularly as the Department reportedly plans troubling U.S. troops withdrawals from the region—risks our ability to adequately deter Russia,” concluded the senators.
Bennet has long fought to ensure continued U.S. support for Ukraine and our Baltic allies. He helped codify the BSI and enhance regional planning as part of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which also included several provisions supporting Ukraine. Bennet also recently secured language in the Senate FY27 Intelligence Authorization Act bolstering intelligence-sharing with Ukraine. Additionally, earlier this year, Bennet joined Durbin and Grassley to introduce the Baltic Security Assessment Act, legislation requiring the Secretaries of State and Defense to report to Congress on emerging threats posed to the Baltic countries.
The text of the letter is available HERE and below.
Secretary Hegseth:
We write to follow up on bipartisan concerns recently expressed in Congressional hearings about seemingly stalled disbursement of key Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 defense appropriations. Specifically, we urge you to obligate Congressionally appropriated FY26 funds in Public Law 119-75 for Ukraine and the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) without any further delay. These two specific allocations have strong and broad bipartisan Congressional support.
Ukraine has persistently and bravely repelled a four-year Russian onslaught, but its military needs and deserves continued American support. Maintaining Ukrainian capabilities and pressure are particularly timely as the Administration tries to negotiate an end to the war and amid increasing signs of a weakening Russian economy. Accordingly, the $400 million in security assistance for Ukraine that was included in the FY26 defense appropriations bill should be disbursed immediately.
Similarly, Congress has repeatedly supported strong assistance for the Baltic States. These front-line NATO allies have a powerful memory of living under the Soviet yoke. They are consistently among the top NATO countries in terms of military spending as a percentage of GDP. They also are the targets of sustained Russian belligerence, threats, and sabotage. In fact, a Russian testing of NATO might very well start in the Baltics. As such, Congress appropriated $200 million in the FY26 defense appropriations bill for the BSI, which was codified in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 119-60), funds we similarly expect to be released without delay. We understand from recent testimony that there was a minor drafting error in the FY26 appropriations tables related to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and while that issue will be resolved, there is no reason to delay execution on the $200 million for the BSI.
We urge you to swiftly obligate these Congressionally appropriated funds for Ukraine and the Baltics and request that you immediately provide a spend plan for execution, which was promised to Congress by May 15. Any further delays—particularly as the Department reportedly plans troubling U.S. troops withdrawals from the region—risks our ability to adequately deter Russia.
Thank you for your continued support of our partners and allies on the frontlines of democracy.
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