WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Co-Chairs of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, today sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging them to swiftly obligate Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Congressionally appropriated funds for the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI) as Russia intensifies its aggression around the Baltic region. Durin and Grassley sent a letter in May requesting Hegseth and Rubio immediately release the stalled funds.
The Senators wrote, “We write to follow up on Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Congressionally appropriated funds for the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI). Since 2021, the BSI has enhanced the defense capabilities and interoperability of our Baltic allies. We urge you to ensure the swift obligation of this funding and execution of programs considering intensified Russian aggression in the region against key frontline allies.”
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The Senators continued, “We welcome the BSI spend plan provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) on May 29, 2026, which targets investments in integrated defense, maritime security, irregular warfare, and other critical capabilities as required by statute. On September 15, a second update from DoD indicated that BSI was prioritized for notification and in its final stages of coordination, including with the Department of State. While this is important progress, escalating Russian threats, specifically against the Baltic States, demand more urgent U.S. security assistance.”
The Senators concluded, “In light of recent airspace incursions, gray-zone tactics, and heightened nuclear warnings against the Baltics, accelerating the delivery of assistance under the BSI must be a priority. We urge disbursement by the end of the calendar year and ask that you provide an update on such plans no later than November 19, 2026.”
In addition to Durbin and Grassley, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Cornyn (R-TX), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ).
In a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing earlier this year, Durbin questioned Secretary Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine about the funds.
Durbin and Grassley have been champions in the Senate for the Baltic nations. Earlier this year, they introduced the Baltic Security Assessment Act of 2026, legislation that requires the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to submit a report to the House and Senate Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Relations and Affairs, and Appropriations on emerging threats posed to the Baltic countries—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Last March, Durbin and Grassley introduced the Baltic Security Initiative Act, bipartisan legislation to effectively codify the Baltic Security Initiative, which Durbin created in 2021 to enhance and strengthen U.S. security cooperation with the Baltics amid an increase of Russian hybrid attacks in the Baltics and across Europe, and Russia’s war in Ukraine. The program was codified in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.
In 2022, Durbin traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, where he received the Aleksandras Stulginskis Star Award—only the second individual and first American to receive this award. It was granted to Durbin for his decades-long support of Lithuanian independence and democracy and his promotion of parliamentary values. He was in Vilnius four years ago on the morning Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Durbin’s mother immigrated to the U.S. as a child from Lithuania.
Full text of the letter can be found here and below.
October 22, 2026
Dear Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Rubio,
We write to follow up on Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Congressionally appropriated funds for the Baltic Security Initiative (BSI). Since 2021, the BSI has enhanced the defense capabilities and interoperability of our Baltic allies. We urge you to ensure the swift obligation of this funding and execution of programs considering intensified Russian aggression in the region against key frontline allies.
We welcome the BSI spend plan provided by the Department of Defense (DoD) on May 29, 2026, which targets investments in integrated defense, maritime security, irregular warfare, and other critical capabilities as required by statute. On September 15, a second update from DoD indicated that BSI was prioritized for notification and in its final stages of coordination, including with the Department of State. While this is important progress, escalating Russian threats, specifically against the Baltic States, demand more urgent U.S. security assistance. In light of recent airspace incursions, gray-zone tactics, and heightened nuclear warnings against the Baltics, accelerating the delivery of assistance under the BSI must be a priority. We urge disbursement by the end of the calendar year and ask that you provide an update on such plans no later than November 19, 2026.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
