House conservatives objected to President Joe Biden’s latest Ukraine aid proposal, contending that it would only continue America’s proxy war against Russia.
The House conservatives, led by Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), sent a letter, which was obtained by Breitbart News, to Biden on Friday, condemning Biden’s request for $40 billion in supplemental funding, $24 billion of which will go to Ukraine.
U.S. President Joe Biden (R) welcomes President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on December 21, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“This request exacerbates your administration’s out-of-control deficit spending and circumvents the bipartisan debt ceiling agreement,” the House conservatives wrote. “Americans are tired of funding endless wars and want policies that not only help restore fiscal sanity in Washington, but also put America and American citizens first.”
The Republicans asked that the Biden administration provide Congress with its “comprehensive strategy and mission for U.S. involvement in Ukraine.” They said without a formal strategy, “there is no way to develop clear objectives, allocate the proper resources, conduct rigorous oversight, or hold officials accountable for success or failure.”
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C-SPANThe House conservatives also contended that the supplemental appropriations bill would circumvent the spending caps stipulated in the Fiscal Responsibility Act, or the debt ceiling deal:
By requesting a supplemental appropriations package, you are putting the U.S. on a path toward a government shutdown by violating the debt ceiling agreement. On June 3, 2023, you signed into law the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which suspended the debt ceiling through January 1, 2025. In addition, this law established new discretionary spending limits for the next two fiscal years. For FY2024, these spending caps were set at $886 billion for national defense and $704 billion for nondefense programs. You cannot bypass the law you just signed. This request should have been included in the President’s FY24 Budget Request and put through the traditional appropriations process.
Reps. Davidson, Ralph Norman (R-SC), Greg Steube (R-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Scott Perry (R-PA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) signed onto the letter.
House conservatives are not the only Republicans to oppose a blank check to Biden for more Ukraine aid.
A spokesperson for Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said in a written statement, “A Republican-led House will not rubber-stamp any blank-check funding requests; rather, the administration’s emergency funding requests must be reviewed and scrutinized on their merits consistent with the practice and principles of our majority.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) at the Capitol in Washington on May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
One senior House Republican told Axios that a standalone Ukraine bill would be an “absolute disaster” for Republicans.
A poll released last week found a majority of Americans oppose sending more aid to Ukraine.
“Congressional support for Ukraine must be based, like any matter of foreign policy, on what serves the interests of all Americans. To uphold this responsibility, Congress should reject any requests for additional Ukraine funding unless conservatives’ minimum requirements are met,” Heritage Action Acting Executive Director Ryan Walker said in a statement Thursday.Walker told Breitbart News this week any additional aid to Ukraine must come with an accounting of the previous $113 billion in aid, the funds must not be attached to a must-pass bill, and the administration has to lay out a strategy for Ukraine.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
