KYIV, Oct 9 – The U.S. Army will be able to supply both, Ukraine and Israel, with as many bombs and munitions as they need, but Congress will have to approve additional funding, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said Monday.

Pentagon leadership is still in the early stages of evaluating what Israel might need to battle Hamas militants, but an administration briefing to members of Congress laid out some early markers: air-to-ground bombs, and air defense systems.

Those priorities will also need to compete with rush orders for Ukraine, which is already straining the capacity of companies in the U.S. and Europe to send arms to Kyiv and resupply inventories back home.

“One thing that is really important in terms of the munitions in particular, and our ability to support both potentially the Israelis and the Ukrainians simultaneously, is additional funding from Congress to be able to increase our capacity,” Wormuth told reporters at the Association of the United States Army conference in Washington, POLITICO reported.

Increasing the output from defense companies has been a priority for the Pentagon — and the Army in particular — as the U.S. raids its own warehouses to send millions of artillery rounds along with ground vehicles and guided bombs to Ukraine.

“One thing that is really important in terms of the munitions in particular, and our ability to support both potentially the Israelis and the Ukrainians simultaneously, is additional funding from Congress to be able to increase our capacity,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said.

“In terms of our capacity to expand production and then to also pay for the munitions themselves, we need additional support from Congress. So I hope we’ll see that soon,” Wormuth said.

Yet she acknowledged the uncertainty on Capitol Hill, noting that “we’re staring down the barrel of another potential government shutdown in just a few weeks.”

The “lack of predictability around our budget is a huge problem, particularly in light of the incredibly challenging security environment where we’re doing everything we’re doing in Ukraine, we’re working to keep up with the pacing challenge of China, and now we see what’s happening in Israel,” she said. “Having predictable funding would help a lot.”

With Congress not in session this week, and without a speaker of the House, the budget remains in flux.

The House is unable to pass legislation until it elects a replacement for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was ousted last week. The crisis — and the inability of the House to act until it picks a new speaker — has even fueled some calls to reinstate McCarthy. He signaled Monday he’s open to the idea.

Ukraine aid, meanwhile, remains politically toxic among House Republicans as more GOP lawmakers turn against new funding.

On the Senate side, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday endorsed speeding resources and intelligence support to Israel and several other strategic American allies. And he has generally aligned with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on ensuring that they have the resources and money needed to defend themselves.

“As we have seen in Ukraine, failure to act decisively can prolong the conflict and compound the costs of war,” McConnell wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “There is still time to act. Congress has the opportunity this fall to provide emergency appropriations to the Defense Department so that it can assist partners like Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, as well as invest in our own military capabilities.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has rushed munitions, rockets, drones, artillery, air defense and tanks to the fight, and is training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s. More equipment has been ordered, but the U.S. also needs to restock its shelves. (po/ez)