politics
WHITE SULFUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday night that Congress won't move forward with any additional aid to Ukraine until the federal government's funding efforts for the remainder of the fiscal year are completed. he suggested.
Johnson (R-Louisiana) emphasized his support for Kiev against Russian aggression during a “fireside chat” with the Post's Josh Christenson on the House Republican Affairs Conference, but he also emphasized his support for Kiev against Russian aggression, He called the bill, which includes $60 billion in aid, a too hasty move. Europe could have sunk government spending talks.
“It was important not to put the grants before the spending bill,” Johnson said, “because it would probably ultimately affect the bill's vote tally, and it would require government funding.” It's because of this.''
House Republicans have been at odds over government funding for nearly six months, forcing leadership to repeatedly turn to Democrats to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Intraparty disputes over spending helped pave the way for the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last October. Many of the hardliners who attended his conference decried further aid to Ukraine, with some even threatening to overthrow Mr Johnson if he brought the topic up for a vote.
President Biden signed a nearly $460 billion package over the weekend that includes six of the 12 spending bills needed to fund the government through the end of fiscal year 2024 on September 30.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is currently trying to finalize the remaining six spending bills by the March 22nd deadline for the second partial shutdown. That second budget is expected to account for more than two-thirds of Washington's total discretionary spending, including to the Pentagon, and will therefore be tougher. to pass Congress.
The Senate passed a bipartisan $95 billion bill last month, including about $60 billion for Ukraine, but Johnson refused to take it to the House, much to the chagrin of Biden.
“We're looking at all the different options around that right now. It may not be exactly what the Senate supplement says,” Johnson told the Post.
“By the way, I note that they worked on that bill, the Senate bill, for about four months by my count, but they expect me to do it in a matter of days or weeks. I think so,” he added. “We understand the schedule, and we understand the urgency and the need for funding.”
A flurry of Democrats and even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) push Johnson to help Ukraine as Kiev forces endure battlefield losses amid ammunition shortages I'm asking you to.
“No one wants President Vladimir Putin to win. I don't think he will stay in Ukraine. If allowed, he would move across Europe,” Johnson said on Wednesday. Ta.
“I think there is right and wrong, good and bad. Ukraine is the victim here… They were invaded,” he continued. “We stand for good.”
But Johnson blamed the aid delay on Biden and his administration's failure to answer “important questions” about the war effort and a positive outcome for the United States.
“That process has dragged on, not because of the House's fault, but because, in my view, the White House is unwilling or unable to provide the answers we need to get things done faster.” Mr. Johnson said.
Republicans have also long called for any supplement to be combined with U.S. border security reform, but a Senate agreement to address both issues collapsed last month and was vetoed by Prime Minister Johnson.
“These problems are not yet resolved. The border is wide open. It is the biggest catastrophe on our shores in our lifetime.”
“I did not introduce the concept of Ukraine; [the] Borders are intertwined in our policy debates. It was the president himself,” Johnson said.
Even before he left office, Mr. McCarthy was keen to combine border reform with support for Ukraine.
In recent days, some House Republicans, led by House Solutions Caucus Co-Chairman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), have launched a campaign to bypass Johnson and secure a House vote on aid to Ukraine. We are pushing forward with the filing of a petition for expulsion, which is a legislative method.
Democrats are also pursuing their own expulsion petition to take up the $95 billion package passed by the Senate.
On Tuesday, the Biden administration announced a $300 billion tranche of military aid to Ukraine, funded by cost savings from a Pentagon contract.
Mr Johnson also expressed hope that Mr McConnell would not give up on his efforts to sign a border reform package.
“I certainly hope he doesn’t give up because the American people haven’t given up and are demanding action from us. We passed HR 2…11 or so from now. Months ago. We can't give up on it, we have to claim it,” the speaker said.
The House Republican Issues Conference opened Wednesday at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia, where lawmakers met to develop policy proposals for the remainder of the legislative year.
The withdrawal will continue until Friday.
