signalmankenneth
Verified User
This is one of my concerns, if the republicans take both houses in the midterms, will they block aid to Ukraine?!! For Ukraine to win this war against Russia, the US and the NATO countries must support Ukraine for the long haul?!! You can stop Russia now or punt the ball and it will cost you more in the long run, not only in money, but possible American lives too?!!
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders who hope to take control of Congress after the November elections would face a growing gap between members of their caucus calling for more robust aid to Ukraine and a contingent skeptical of continuing to shell out billions of dollars to Kyiv as the war with Russia continues.
The schism between the party’s establishment Republicans and Trump-style populists raises questions about whether President Joe Biden can rely on lawmakers to continue funding the influx of U.S. military equipment to Ukraine if Democrats lose control of Congress.
The House’s No. 2 and 3 Republican leaders — Minority Whip Steve Scalise and conference chair Elise Stefanik — wouldn’t commit to their conference keeping the aid flowing should Republicans take control of the House in January, even though they both cast votes in favor of Ukraine aid in the past.
“There are a lot of members that want to see more accountability in the Department of Defense and more of a focus on the threats that are out there,” Scalise, of Louisiana, told reporters Wednesday. “China is moving very aggressively to build up a naval fleet, and right now our naval fleet is in decline.”
The $40 billion Ukraine supplemental split Republicans when it passed Congress in May, and, if Republicans pick up seats in the midterms, it’s unclear where the new members would land on the issue. In the House, 57 Republicans voted no, while 149 voted with the Democratic majority; in the Senate, 11 voted no, while 39 voted yes with Democrats.
The tally reflects changing views within the party. Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of the influential conservative Heritage Foundation, was among right-leaning groups that have started to lobby Congress against the White House’s recent request to package $13.7 billion in Ukraine aid and funding for COVID-19 relief with a stopgap spending bill.
Ukraine “deserves” U.S. and European support, but combining it with the continuing resolution would mean ignoring concerns over “the glaring lack of fiscal responsibility and questions regarding the appropriateness of the proposed aid,” Heritage Action Vice President Garrett Bess told Defense News in a statement.
Not all Republicans agree. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee who is due to retire at the end of the year, told reporters on Thursday he wants the Ukraine aid package included in the continuing resolution, even as he hopes to keep other riders on the bill to a minimum.
House GOP Conference Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer, R-Ala., said he’s tried to sway skeptics of Ukraine aid within the caucus.
“The evidence for how effective our support of Ukraine has been is being played out right in front of us,” Palmer said of Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive. “My problem with some people is they have tunnel vision to the degree they cannot see the consequences of inaction. And I think history will judge how we handle this.”
Given the GOP’s internal differences, it’s an open question how future support for Ukraine would play into the party’s post-election agenda. Several party leaders weren’t eager to answer and instead voiced their own support for both the aid and oversight measures.
https://www.defensenews.com/congres...ukraine-could-complicate-future-aid-packages/
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders who hope to take control of Congress after the November elections would face a growing gap between members of their caucus calling for more robust aid to Ukraine and a contingent skeptical of continuing to shell out billions of dollars to Kyiv as the war with Russia continues.
The schism between the party’s establishment Republicans and Trump-style populists raises questions about whether President Joe Biden can rely on lawmakers to continue funding the influx of U.S. military equipment to Ukraine if Democrats lose control of Congress.
The House’s No. 2 and 3 Republican leaders — Minority Whip Steve Scalise and conference chair Elise Stefanik — wouldn’t commit to their conference keeping the aid flowing should Republicans take control of the House in January, even though they both cast votes in favor of Ukraine aid in the past.
“There are a lot of members that want to see more accountability in the Department of Defense and more of a focus on the threats that are out there,” Scalise, of Louisiana, told reporters Wednesday. “China is moving very aggressively to build up a naval fleet, and right now our naval fleet is in decline.”
The $40 billion Ukraine supplemental split Republicans when it passed Congress in May, and, if Republicans pick up seats in the midterms, it’s unclear where the new members would land on the issue. In the House, 57 Republicans voted no, while 149 voted with the Democratic majority; in the Senate, 11 voted no, while 39 voted yes with Democrats.
The tally reflects changing views within the party. Heritage Action, the lobbying arm of the influential conservative Heritage Foundation, was among right-leaning groups that have started to lobby Congress against the White House’s recent request to package $13.7 billion in Ukraine aid and funding for COVID-19 relief with a stopgap spending bill.
Ukraine “deserves” U.S. and European support, but combining it with the continuing resolution would mean ignoring concerns over “the glaring lack of fiscal responsibility and questions regarding the appropriateness of the proposed aid,” Heritage Action Vice President Garrett Bess told Defense News in a statement.
Not all Republicans agree. Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, the ranking member on the Appropriations Committee who is due to retire at the end of the year, told reporters on Thursday he wants the Ukraine aid package included in the continuing resolution, even as he hopes to keep other riders on the bill to a minimum.
House GOP Conference Policy Committee Chairman Gary Palmer, R-Ala., said he’s tried to sway skeptics of Ukraine aid within the caucus.
“The evidence for how effective our support of Ukraine has been is being played out right in front of us,” Palmer said of Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive. “My problem with some people is they have tunnel vision to the degree they cannot see the consequences of inaction. And I think history will judge how we handle this.”
Given the GOP’s internal differences, it’s an open question how future support for Ukraine would play into the party’s post-election agenda. Several party leaders weren’t eager to answer and instead voiced their own support for both the aid and oversight measures.
https://www.defensenews.com/congres...ukraine-could-complicate-future-aid-packages/