GOP critics vow no more US aid for Ukraine

Conservatives skeptical of funding the Ukraine war expect it to be passed as the last major U.S. aid package for Kiev.

Republican critics of the package credit Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky with winning this round of debate by sending $61 billion to Ukraine through Congress.

But they insist they would walk away empty-handed if President Biden responded to their request again.

“If you think Ukraine is extracting another $60 billion from the U.S. Congress, that’s not the case,” says J.D. Vance, who is leading the opposition in the Senate to funnel tens of billions more dollars. said Sen. (R-Ohio). war effort.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Wednesday that the new military aid package for Ukraine would last until the end of the year, with an immediate need for an infusion of new weapons and funding in 2025. Improved outlook.

Therefore, the war between Ukraine and Russia and U.S. aid to Kiev could become key issues in the presidential election between Biden and former President Trump, as well as in the House and Senate battles.

Both the presidential and House races are considered close races, but Republicans are seen as favorites to win a Senate majority given the very favorable conditions.

“What happens next depends on the outcome of the November election,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

Sullivan said Wednesday that both parties have a “deep reservoir” of support for Ukraine.

But he acknowledged that Ukraine was being set back in the war due to dwindling supplies, telling reporters that Ukraine had to ration ammunition and was under “severe pressure on the battlefield.”

“It will take some time for Congress to dig out of the hole created by the six-month delay in passing additional legislation,” he said.

Ukraine has support in both houses of Congress, but support among House Republicans is decreasing. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) brought the bill to the floor, but he did so at the risk of his own political future. A majority of House Republicans have voted against additional aid to Ukraine, and some conservatives are threatening to oust Johnson.

A majority of Republican senators supported aid to Ukraine, and Mr. McConnell received nine more Republican votes than his policy earlier this year.

Still, Vance noted that Republican support for pursuing an unrestricted war against Russia has declined significantly over the past two years.

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Vance argued that the military aid package approved this week won’t change the course of the war, saying, “I think it’s going to be very difficult to get policy out of Congress.” Ta.

“Fundamentally, we lack the ability to manufacture the quantities of weapons that Ukraine needs to supply to win the war,” Vance said in an essay that caused a stir on Capitol Hill.

But McConnell told reporters Tuesday that Republicans who support increased military aid to Ukraine are winning the debate with his colleagues, whom he called “isolationists.”

“I think we have turned a corner in the isolationist movement,” he insisted to reporters. “I think we’ve made some progress.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., praised the bill passed Tuesday as a “very robust package,” but questioned how well it would keep Ukrainian troops supplied on the battlefield. He avoided making a statement.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.C.), who voted in favor of the $95 billion emergency foreign aid bill that President Biden quickly signed into law, said any further aid in the future would have to be structured as a loan. It has said.

“The loan part will not become smaller, but larger. If we want to give Ukraine even more money in the future, it will be more loans,” he said.

To garner more Republican support for the policy passed this week, House leaders announced $9.5 billion in forgivable loans to support Ukraine’s energy sector and infrastructure needs, as well as to assist other countries affected by the war. A considerable amount of economic aid was provided.

For supporters of aid to Ukraine, the question is not if, but when Ukraine needs new aid.

Senators from both parties expect the $61 billion approved by Congress this week to cover Kiev through November and possibly the end of the year. This will spark a fight over whether to continue U.S. war aid at current levels in the lame-duck conference after November’s election.

“There’s no question we’re going to need another one. It’s doubtful we’ll make it through this year. There’s a good chance there’s something in the lame duck. We’ve got to be there as long as we’re there. It doesn’t have to be [Russian President Vladimir Putin] ,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C.

Lawmakers have little idea what will happen if former President Trump wins, given his constantly evolving stance on war.

President Trump urged Republican senators to reject the first version of the $95 billion foreign package passed in February, after Johnson insisted that the economic aid be structured as forgivable loans. In recent weeks, it has softened its stance against sending billions of dollars more to Ukraine. .

Trump’s supporters said the former president also played an influential role in persuading lawmakers to add the REPO Act to the bill, which would allow the seizure of Russian assets to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction.

However, given Mr. Trump’s past statements, there is a possibility that he will return to the White House, raising concerns among Democrats about the future of Ukraine.

Republican Congressional aides said Pentagon officials and European allies will begin compiling a new funding request for Ukraine in September and submit it to Congress in a lame-duck session.

“I expect it to be a lame duck,” the person said. “If Biden loses, will President Trump submit a supplementary document before he takes office? The incoming administration will need to be fully consulted.”

Lawmakers who support funding for Ukraine feel encouraged by the strong bipartisan votes that passed the emergency spending package in the House and Senate.

Thirty-one Senate Republicans worked with nearly all Democrats to push the policy over the finish line. This is an increase of nine Republicans from the February vote. Ukraine advocates believe this will give Ukraine a boost as it inevitably pursues a different policy.

“This is a pretty overwhelming vote,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said this week of the 31 Senate Republicans who joined the majority of the Senate Democratic caucus in approving the Ukraine funds. “I don’t think anyone should question our efforts.”

Mr. Cornyn is running against Senate Republican John Thune (S.D.) to replace Mr. McConnell, the Senate Republican conference’s biggest champion of support for the war, as leader.

Republicans say they are encouraged by Trump’s decision not to tank the Ukraine funding bill after meeting with the speaker at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Republican senators say they believe they can persuade Trump to change his mind on some issues and support more aid to Ukraine if he wins in November. There is.

“That’s true. [possible]” Tillis said. “I think [Trump] If he’s been briefed and his administration is overseeing its implementation, then yeah, I think he would support it. I don’t know if that will be one of his top priorities, but I think he would support it. ”