Sen. Lisa Murkowski has joined forces with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, to introduce legislation that would more than $50 billion in American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine over the next two years, as it fights with Russia.
The proposal was introduced by Sheehan on Thursday. President Donald Trump has set an Aug. 8 deadline for Moscow to engage in peace negotiations or face a new round of sanctions.
The Shaheen-Murkowski legislation would add to the over $460 billion already spent on Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia aggression.
The bill also appears to be a direct response to recent developments in Trump Administration policy. In March, Trump paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv for a week following a dispute with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Recently, the Pentagon delayed some weapons transfers pending a policy review.
The legislation may face political headwinds. Republican leaders in both the House and Senate are deferring to Trump on foreign policy matters, and the administration has taken a hard line against increasing foreign aid. Congressional appropriators advanced a separate defense funding measure Thursday that includes just $1 billion in Ukraine-related military assistance, a fraction of what the new bill proposes.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the US has allocated approximately $182.8 billion in emergency funding to support Ukraine and the region, with $175 billion approved by Congress through five bills, the most recent being $60 billion in April 2024.
Although Congress passed the aid package in 2024, the vote revealed fault lines within the GOP: 18 senators opposed the measure, including then-Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, now vice president.
