Hegseth says $400M in Ukraine support released after McConnell’s angry op-ed
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that $400 million in support for Ukraine was released after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) penned an angry op-ed criticizing the pause in funding.
“The Department is aware that $400 million has been allocated for capacity building in Europe, and as of yesterday, that has been released,” Hegseth said in response to a question about the aid from Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.).
Elfreth followed up to ask if the money had been released under the contract.
Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III said the aid “was not under contract but was released to be contracted.”
When Elfreth pressed him about when the money could be used in Ukraine, the auditor said, “It depends on what they’re going to buy with the money.”
“We will listen to the recommendations of EUCOM commanders, we will use these funds in the best way possible,” he added, referring to US European Command.
Throughout his questioning, Elfreth voiced McConnell’s anger that the bipartisan funding was not disclosed sooner.
“Despite some public disdain, Ukraine has gone to great lengths for us, perhaps more than any other ally in the Middle East,” the Maryland representative said at the beginning of his questioning.
“They are leveraging the advantage they have gained from a pitched war with Russia. They are blocking Iranian drones that threaten us and our partner forces in the Middle East,” he added.
McConnell initially blamed the delay on Elbridge Colby, the Defense Department’s undersecretary for policy, whom he accused of obstructing lawmakers from investigating the delayed funding after she reportedly suspended arms shipments to Ukraine last year.
The former Senate Republican leader said this isn’t the first time this has happened.
“Colby also ruled that security assistance to Ukraine and America’s NATO allies in the Baltics was a ‘waste’ and removed those long-standing efforts from his fiscal 2026 budget request,” McConnell noted in the op-ed.
Late last year, the Senate passed the $900 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026; This legislation provides $400 million to Ukraine in 2026 and another $400 million in 2027 through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.
The purpose of the fund was to pay for American companies’ production of high-priority weapons for the Ukrainian 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.
Head to The Hill for the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video.
