1857 Rejected Amendments: Budget Committee Supported Government Funding Option

The meeting of the Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, held on June 8, became the center of one of the most intense discussions of the year. The consideration of draft law No. 15224 on amendments to the State Budget for 2026 regarding financial support for the security and defense sector revealed a deep divide between the government's vision and the demands of lawmakers working with security agencies.

Despite the submission of 1865 proposals to the draft, the Committee recommended to adopt it in the second reading, fully considering only 8 amendments and rejecting 1857.

Draft law No. 15224 is based on the implementation of the European loan (UASL) and regional resilience plans. The Ministry of Finance's position during the meeting was unwavering: the draft must be adopted in the government's version, as it concerns exclusively international obligations and targeted loans. The Ministry of Finance stated that it does not support any amendments that disrupt the government structure, even if they relate to military salaries or court decisions.

The main supported amendments were:

Increased expenditures for the Ministry of Energy and the exclusion zone: the total increase amounts to UAH 1,331.8 million. Funds are directed to support the blocks of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the "Shelter" object, leadership in the energy sector, liquidation of unpromising mines, and measures in the exclusion zone.

Payments to the Judicial Protection Service. The Committee supported allocating UAH 1,448.5 million to the State Judicial Administration to execute court decisions regarding the payment of arrears on additional remuneration, specifically to 30 thousand employees of the Judicial Protection Service. It was clarified that these funds are allocated exclusively for the needs of the security and defense sector to avoid ambiguous interpretations when executing court decisions.

It was established that the limitation of the subsistence minimum for calculating salaries, defined by Article 7 of the Budget Law, does not apply to employees of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to provide for the restoration of sources for forming the state road fund at 25% of the respective revenues when developing the 2027 budget.

Increased funding for the State Export Control Service of Ukraine by UAH 3.7 million from the security sector reserve funds was supported.

Rejected proposals

At the same time, the Committee rejected a number of amendments, including those regarding increased funding for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Intelligence Service under direct budget lines, cancellation of the "cashback" program, as well as allocation of funds to protect Kherson from drone attacks.

Proposals to increase direct funding for key security and intelligence agencies — the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the "Alpha" unit of the Security Service of Ukraine (6521010) — were rejected during budget discussions.

The Ministry of Finance explained that these agencies do not require separate expansion of budget lines, as they can promptly receive necessary funds through the Reserve Fund mechanism if needed. Thus, the government insists on a centralized funding model with subsequent resource distribution upon request, rather than securing separate expenditures in the budget law.

Critics of this approach warned that it effectively increases the dependence of special services on manual management of budget flows and reduces the predictability of their funding.

Separately, an amendment providing for the permanent allocation of the military tax to a special fund targeted at defense needs was rejected.

The reason for rejection was procedural restrictions: changes to the Budget Code cannot be made through the state budget law. Accordingly, even politically supported initiatives cannot be implemented within the budget process without separate legislative approval.

The proposal to cancel the state "cashback" program and redirect the freed funds to strengthen the Ministry of Defense did not receive the necessary support during the vote and was rejected. Additionally, the initiative included limiting the use of the Reserve Fund for non-core expenditures to reduce the practice of funding secondary programs during wartime.

Separately, an initiative to allocate UAH 2.5 billion to protect the civilian population of Kherson from drone attacks and systemic terror by the Russian Federation was considered.

Representatives of the Ministry of Defense noted that the proposed funding should be provided through the Reserve Fund, which cannot be reduced within the scope of budget amendment consideration. In fact, the government's position boiled down to the fact that the source is already determined, and redistribution in the proposed manner is impossible within the budget procedure.

The decisions of the meeting indicate the actual preference for the government model of centralizing budget flows in the security and defense sector. The government ensured predictable macro indicators necessary for international partners, but key security directions — including intelligence and special communications — were effectively transferred to funding through the Reserve Fund. This means the need for regular approval of additional expenditures with the Cabinet of Ministers, which reduces the operational autonomy of these agencies.

And the refusal to directly increase funding for the Main Intelligence Directorate and Security Service units against the backdrop of maintaining expenditures on consumer demand stimulation programs and informational projects creates an imbalance in budget policy priorities.

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