Page 1 GAO-25-107475 Presidential Drawdown Authority
Since fiscal year 2022, the President, with special authority from Congress, has
greatly expanded the use of Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to provide
ammunition, missiles, and other defense articles from Department of Defense
(DOD) inventories to foreign partners—especially Ukraine. Authorized under the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA), PDA allows the President to
respond to U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives by providing
assistance that flows from existing resources and up to a ceiling established in
law without first seeking additional legislative authority or appropriations from
Congress. The President may provide this assistance by ordering the
“drawdown” of articles and services from the inventories and resources of U.S.
government agencies, primarily DOD. According to Department of State officials,
the President delegated to the Secretary of State the authority to direct DOD to
execute PDA packages. DOD’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
administers and provides guidance for PDA.
From December 2021 through January 2025, the President authorized about
$31.7 billion in defense articles to Ukraine under PDA. Since 1961, presidents
have used PDA numerous times, but the value, volume, and frequency of PDA
use for Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion is unprecedented. From fiscal
years 2022 to 2024, Congress used its authority to raise the yearly ceiling for
PDA by billions of dollars. DOD also developed processes to manage the more
than $45.8 billion Congress appropriated to replace defense articles provided
under PDA to Ukraine. The replacement funding was a part of
the five Ukraine
supplemental appropriation acts, which provided about $174.2 billion that
agencies have allocated for various purposes, including to help combat Russian
aggression and to preserve Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
These adjustments raised questions for DOD as officials worked to quickly
transfer a large volume of defense articles. To improve implementation of DOD’s
defense article transfer process in Ukraine, we previously made
recommendations including that DOD improve the accuracy of defense article
delivery data and evaluate its end-use monitoring approach.
This report is one of several engagements we initiated in response to a provision
included in the Consolidated Appropriations, 2023. In addition, a House Report
accompanying the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, 2024, includes a
provision for us to review DOD’s execution of PDA and related funding and
notifications since February 24, 2022.
U.S. Government Accountability Office
PRESIDENTIAL DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY
:
Guidance Should Reflect Expanded Use
-25-107475
Report to Congressional Committees
15, 2025
