Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Biden’s move to be “faster and more proactive” in delivering aid to Ukraine.
The Republican senator from Kentucky issued a statement on the issue Friday, following comments by Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) a few days earlier, who had said his convention would not give Ukraine a “blank check” of support.
“Russia continues to intensify attacks on civilians and Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure,” McConnell said. “The classes for us are clear. The Biden administration and Ukraine’s friends around the world want to be faster and more proactive in offering Ukraine the help it needs. “And Democrats in Washington will have to avoid their war against our own security and independence from American power.
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The United States and its allies will have to provide “additional air defenses, long-range fire, and humanitarian and economic assistance for this war-torn country to suffer next winter,” he added.
The Senate Republican leader said that if his party wins the Senate after the midterm elections, it will “focus its oversight on the timely delivery of mandatory weapons and increased allied assistance to Ukraine. “
Comments on what a Republican-led Senate would seek with McCarthy’s comments about ending a “blank check. “
“I’m surprised it made headlines,” he said in a subsequent interview on CNBC on Wednesday. “Wouldn’t you want cash from hard-working taxpayers, someone watching it?We want to eliminate unnecessary spending in Washington.
He noted that Ukraine “is very important” and that he supports “making sure that we move forward to defeat Russia in this program,” but added: “There is no blank check for anything. We have $31 trillion in debt. “
Some House Republicans have already voted against previous aid programs, while some conservative teams have already called on party leaders to also avoid supporting aid to Ukraine. What’s unclear is whether McCarthy and the 57 House Republicans who voted against a $40 billion aid package last May need to avoid all aid to Ukraine or simply cut it. The composition of Congress is also an unknown that will have a big effect on him.
A Defense Department official declined to say whether there was any consideration within the company about the option of House Republicans ending the aid.
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“It would be irrelevant for us to speculate on the final results of midterm reviews or hypothetical situations,” Lt. Col. Garron Garn, the head of the Defense Department, told the Washington Examiner on Thursday. “Meanwhile, the United States and the Department of Defense are joining allies and partners from nearly 50 countries to continue Ukraine with the means to deter and protect those who oppose Russian aggression. “
Congress has appropriated a total of $65 billion in aid since Russia’s invasion last February. Democrats would possibly pass another primary relief package before the next Congress is sworn in, and that package could also be in the $50 billion range, according to NBC News.