The Trump administration conducted a review of all foreign assistance, and around July of this year, they decided to increase the amount of FMF support from $115 million to $141.5 million. To accomplish this increase, they sought to reprogram $26.5 million from 2018 carry-over funds appropriated to other programs.
This was not money appropriated to Ukraine in any statute, yet the Trump administration decided to transfer it to Ukraine in 2019 as an extra bonus. You’re not supposed to know that.
The reprogramming needed Congressional approval. So while the OMB folks were figuring out what to do exactly with these left overs from 2018, they held the extra money until they were ready to ask Congress for permission to give Ukraine more money than originally appropriated in 2019.
Somehow, this hold on preparing the notification to increase Ukraine FMF for 2019 has been twisted by Schiff to appear as if Trump held back all $141.5 million. The GOP defense of Trump has made a terrible error in allowing this egregious lie to become part of the official impeachment narrative.
The Sept 11, 2019 Congressional Notification – widely hyped as the “release” of Ukraine funds – informed Congress of DoS intent to increase funding to Ukraine by $26.5 million, and it tells you exactly what statutes this notification was being made pursuant to:
https://www.thepostemail.com/2019/12/12/adam-schiffs-391-million-dollar-lie/