Washington: If Republicans Win the House, Where Does That Leave Ukraine? It’s a question that tops Washington as the GOP moves closer to securing a majority in the US House. Some fear the end of Democratic control in Congress, and the empowerment of “America First” conservatives, could eventually result in a cut in US aid as Ukraine fights an invasion of Russia. Recent comments by Kevin McCarthy, who is in line for speaker if Republicans win the House, heightened those fears. He warned that he would not support writing a “blank check” for Ukraine if Republicans seize a majority.
But the bigoted rhetoric isn’t the end of the story. While Republican control of the House is likely to make it more difficult to send tranches of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, support for the country runs deep on both sides. Here’s a look at the factors at play:
What has America given so far
Since the start of the Russian offensive in February, Congress has approved tens of billions in emergency security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
The Biden administration has also sent weapons and equipment worth billions from military inventories.
In September, lawmakers approved about USD 12.3 billion in aid related to Ukraine as part of a bill that would finance the federal government until 16 December. The money also included aid for the Ukrainian military, as well as money to help provide basic services to the country’s government. Citizen. This comes on top of over USD 50 billion provided in the previous two bills.
strong bipartisan support
All along, financial aid to Ukraine has garnered strong bipartisan support. In the Senate, GOP leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Richard Shelby, head of the powerful Appropriations Committee, were early and frequent voices in favor of Ukraine aid.
In recent days, other Republicans, including Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Rick Scott of Florida, have insisted in interviews that their party’s support for the Ukrainians is unwavering. “I think we have to continue to do everything we can to support Ukraine, which wants to protect its independence and prevent Russia from expanding,” Scott said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Is.”
Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio and Democratic Senator Chris Coons of Delaware also made a bipartisan show of support by visiting Ukraine days before the election. “I am confident that strong bipartisan American support for the Ukrainian people’s fight will continue in Congress,” Coons said.
“The United States has long been a nation that fights for freedom, and it is the most important fight for freedom in the world today.” The picture is similar in the House, where Ukrainian aid enjoys majority support. Even a letter published last month by the party’s moderate faction asking the Biden administration to hold diplomatic talks with Russia over the war was quickly withdrawn after criticism from both sides.
President Joe Biden attempted to ease concerns at a post-election briefing on Wednesday, expressing hope that he would be able to continue his “bilateral approach” to supporting Ukraine. He said he intended to invite congressional leaders from both parties to the White House later this month to discuss “advancing the economic and national security priorities of the United States.”
Far-right opposition growing
Yet support for Ukraine in the Republican Party is not universal. Some right-wing lawmakers, especially those aligned with Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy philosophy, say the United States cannot afford to give Ukraine billions at a time of record-high inflation at home. .
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, told a rally of Trump supporters in Iowa last week that under Republicans, not another penny would go to Ukraine.
In Ohio, Republican J.D. Vance, who has just won the state Senate race, campaigned for an end to financial aid for the country, saying Congress must “ultimately stop the flow of money to Ukraine. ”
McCarthy was sending a signal to Ukraine skeptics with his comments ahead of the election. McCarthy said in a pre-election interview, “I think people are going to sit in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine.” “They won’t do it. It’s not a blank blank check.”
McCarthy later retracted those comments, telling CNN that he is very supportive of Ukraine but thinks “accountability must go further.”
Biden insisted that his administration has not acceded to every request from the Ukrainians, including their demand for a no-fly zone that would risk drawing the US into war.
Biden said, ‘ We have not given a blank check to Ukraine. “There are so many things Ukraine wishes we didn’t do? We didn’t.”
the future of aid
Despite growing opposition from the right wing, the risk of Congress ending US financial and military support for Ukraine anytime soon is slim. Majorities in the House and Senate support an alliance with Ukraine, saying there is a price to be paid for protecting a democratic ally and resisting Russian expansion.
According to AP Votecast, a nationwide poll of more than 94,000 voters, a majority of Americans who polled in the midterms were strongly behind military and financial support for Ukraine.
Nearly 4 in 10 said this was correct and 3 in 10 said it should be more proactive, while only 3 in 10 wanted the US to provide less to Ukraine. Yet it is clear that a Republican takeover of the House would make it difficult to pass additional aid for Ukraine.
McCarthy is likely to be under immense pressure from the right to take a hard line with the Biden administration, making it even more difficult for him to work with Democrats.
With that reality in mind, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are eyeing the post-election lame-duck session as an opportunity to lock down billions of dollars in additional military aid for Ukraine. That aid could be passed in a government funding bill at the end of the year and ensure US support for months to come.
view from abroad
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials are closely monitoring the midterm election results. An official admitted on Wednesday that he kept awake throughout the night repeatedly refreshing his phone to track the results. But the country’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on Wednesday that he did not expect US support to end.
“I have repeatedly met with representatives of the Senate and Congress, and each time the delegations were bipartisan,” Resnikov told a news conference.
“I clearly understand that the support of the United States will continue to be bipartisan and bicameral as well.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Trade and Economic Development Yulia Sivrydenko said on Thursday that regardless of US support, the country is ramping up efforts to clamp down on spending, even as Ukrainians see it as an “existential war”. .
Svyrydenko said that while there was no pressure from US officials to cut the need for foreign aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian leaders know they must do more to stabilize the economy, even if they are forced to withdraw from the Russian military. are fighting Ukraine’s emphasis at the beginning of the war was on rapidly increasing military aid from its allies, “but we understand that one day we must again rely heavily on ourselves,” she said.