Biden Uses Emergency Drawdown Authority 55 Times to Send $31.7B in Weapons to Ukraine

President Biden exercised Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) 55 times from August 2021 through September 2024, transferring $31.7 billion in weapons from Pentagon stockpiles to Ukraine without normal Congressional oversight. Congress expanded PDA’s annual cap from $100 million to $11 billion (FY2022), $14.5 billion (FY2023), and $7.8 billion (FY2024). The transfers depleted critical U.S. stockpiles including 155mm shells, HIMARS, Stinger missiles, and Patriot systems, with GAO reporting ’long lead times’ and ‘supplier limitations’ for replacements. Senator Mike Lee criticized Biden for throwing ‘60 years of precedent out the window’ and running ’the shelves bare until at least 2030,’ jeopardizing military readiness. Pentagon officials acknowledged reaching monthly limits on transfers without affecting U.S. combat capability.