As Ukrainian forces suffer defeats, and an emboldened Putin is blamed for killing his top political rival, pressure is mounting on congressional Republicans to act on $95 billion foreign aid bill.
Russia takes control of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine after Kyiv withdraws troops
Russia said its forces took complete control of Avdiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine that was the focus of intense combat for months.
A vocal Florida congressional member aligned with Donald Trump‘s wing of the House Republican caucus said he has not been swayed to support more military aid to Ukraine.
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican and staunch ally of the former president, said the Feb. 16 death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was a “tragedy” but doesn’t change the political dynamics in the United States.
“The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is a tragedy and demonstrates the fact that Vladimir Putin is a dictator,” Donalds said in a statement. “However, it does not change domestic politics within the United States.”
Donalds commented days away from the second anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion and with Ukrainian forces hungry for military supplies. Coupled with global outrage over Navalny’s passing in a Russian prison, the pressure is on House Republicans to approve more funding for Ukraine when they reconvene Feb. 28.
Donalds’ position lines up with that of Florida’s two U.S. senators, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, who have insisted America’s southern border comes first among funding and national priorities.
Florida Republicans insist southern border is top congressional priority
Nonetheless, Rubio and Scott stayed faithful to Republican opposition to border security legislation this month, a bill negotiated by staunch conservative Oklahoma Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford. The measure was endorsed by the hardline National Border Patrol Council, which represents border control agents and who endorsed then-President Trump in 2020. But it failed to garner enough support in the Senate.
Now as Ukrainian forces suffer defeats, and an emboldened Putin is blamed for killing his top political rival, pressure is mounting on congressional Republicans to act.
President Joe Biden lashed out at Republicans for, he said, putting their loyalty to Trump ahead of the country’s interests and the defense of U.S. allies.
“Look at what they’re doing with the national security supplemental bill that provides assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and the Palestinian people: nothing,” Biden said. “Not a single thing. Why? Because that’s what Donald Trump tells them to do.”
After the border security provisions were rejected, the Senate approved a long-awaited $95 billion foreign aid package that was ultimately approved despite the opposition from the two Floridians.
Republican lawmakers battled the measure, and themselves, for weeks leading up to the 70-29 vote in favor of passage by the Senate. The emergency aid funding would give $60.1 billion to Kyiv, $14.1 billion to Israel’s war against Hamas and $10 billion in humanitarian aid to civilians in battle zones, like Palestinians in Gaza.
Senate approved money for Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. Will House OK it?
The prospects for a necessary vote in the U.S. House are dim, however. GOP factions loyal to Trump control the leadership positions in that chamber, and count House Speaker Mike Johnson among their ranks.
Trump has made clear his opposition to the legislation’s border provisions, and in the past two weeks has been verbally hostile to NATO and American allies abroad, some of whom he demands up their contributions to their defense and the European continent’s security.
Scott said the Senate’s aid “bill is dead on arrival in the House.” His reason for voting against the bill was that it would bring higher inflation and fail to reduce national debt and that the money to Gaza would “directly benefit” Hamas. Scott also said it did not force any accountability for the money sent to Ukraine…
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