The House heaps billions more into the U.S. defense budget as Ukraine gets new arms to defend against more Russians.

(Originally published Dec. 1 in “What in the World“) The Pentagon announced that it would spend $1.2 billion to buy Ukraine six new National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or Nasams, from Raytheon. So far, Ukraine only has two of these advanced systems, which are used to protect the White House.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether that $1.2 billion would come out of this year’s budget or the roughly $858 billion defense budget the lame-duck, Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is set to approve in a vote next week. The House’s message to President Joe Biden? Spend more! The House added $45 billion to Biden’s original request for $802 billion in defense spending, as the Pentagon worries shipments to Ukraine have depleted its own arsenal and left the U.S. vulnerable to China. The Bill will next head to the Senate, where Republicans have threatened to block it over Biden’s vaccine mandate for U.S. troops, among other objections to progressive policies.

Ukraine, meanwhile, said Russia had sent hundreds of additional troops into the battle for Bakhmut.