Global News

Two officials at the White House budget office have resigned over disagreements on a hold on $400m of congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine, according to a transcript of testimony from a career official during the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump.

Mark Sandy — associate director for national security at the White House Office of Management and Budget — testified that the unnamed employees had resigned “in part” due to the decision to withhold assistance to Ukraine.

Mr Sandy said at least one of the employees who resigned had a “dissenting opinion” about the decision to freeze the aid, citing legal concerns, and another “expressed some frustrations about not understanding the reason for the hold” on the aid. Mr Sandy said the Trump administration did not tell the office that aid was being withheld because of inadequate assistance from other countries, which the administration has said was a key reason for the hold, until months after it was in place.

The aid wasn’t released until September, when Mr Sandy said the White House had emailed him for “data” about other countries’ contributions. But Mr Sandy said the administration’s reasoning had remained “an open question” through July and August.

On Wednesday, the House Budget Committee reported that the OMB engaged in a “pattern of abuse” by withholding aid to Ukraine.