House Republican opposition to Ukraine aid is solidifying under Speaker Mike Johnson, who hand-delivered to President Biden a report listing demands before any more taxpayer money for the war in Eastern Europe is approved.
The report, written by Rep. Mike Garcia of California, said Congress would not open the purse strings again for Ukraine unless Mr. Biden answers a dozen questions about his strategy for the war.
Chief among the dozen questions is how Mr. Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intend to win the war and how long a winning strategy would take.
“Failure to ask these questions, and a continued willingness by Congress to enable this carte blanche mentality to date, is, in my opinion, a dereliction of duty and a recipe for disaster that will enable a Ukrainian defeat and enhance Chinese aggression,” Mr. Garcia said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas is pressuring Mr. Johnson to bargain for stiffer border policies in addition to the billions of dollars to assist migrants crossing into the U.S. that the president’s request included.
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, has stressed that the House will not bundle aid for Ukraine and Israel’s conflict with Hamas, as Mr. Biden wants.
SEE ALSO: House Republicans look to pass Israel aid package without money for Ukraine
The speaker said on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures” that Israel aid must be separated because it’s a more “pressing and urgent need” that the House will move this week.
“There are lots of things going on around the world that we have to address, and we will,” he said. “But now what’s happening in Israel takes the immediate attention, and we’ve got to separate that and get it through.”
In the latest sign of conservative resistance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, posted Sunday on social media that she will vote against any more foreign aid, including support to Israel in its war against Hamas, because of the national debt.
“I will be voting NO on all funding packages for the Ukraine war (as I have from the beginning) and now the Israel war,” Ms. Greene posted on X. “We have had over 10 MILLION people illegally cross our border since Biden took office and we are over $33 TRILLION dollars in debt with many major problems afflicting Americans.”
The president requested a $106 billion emergency funding package to tie together aid for Israel, Ukraine and the U.S. border.
Mr. Biden pitched the taxpayer-funded emergency package for Israel and Ukraine as vital to U.S. national security.
SEE ALSO: Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’ll vote against any new aid for Israel package
“History has taught us that when terrorists don’t pay a price for their terror, when dictators don’t pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” Mr. Biden said. “They keep going, and the cost and the threats to America and to the world keep rising.”
Ukraine aid is the dominant portion of the request. It accounts for $60 billion, compared with $14 billion for Israel.
The aid for Israel’s fight against Hamas is much more popular among House Republicans. As a stand-alone bill, it likely would pass on a strong bipartisan vote.
Republicans have grown skeptical of more aid for Ukraine. The U.S. has already directed more than $75 billion to help Ukraine fight Russian invaders.
Mr. Garcia’s report demanded an estimate of the cost of a winning strategy, more precise updates on progress in the war, and explanations of why further U.S. investment in Ukraine is necessary and what would happen if the flow of money stops.
The report was co-signed by Mr. Crenshaw and Reps. August Pfluger of Texas, Jack Bergman of Michigan, Brad Wenstrup of Ohio and Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia.
They said humanitarian aid should be stripped from current and future spending requests and that funding should be limited to “enabling the killing of Russians on the front lines” with munitions and advanced weapons.
A $9.15 billion chunk of Mr. Biden’s request would provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Israel and civilians in Gaza. The request did not specify how much would be directed to Ukraine.
“If we continue to blend and dilute the military aid with humanitarian aid, we are not supporting a victory, we are enabling a dependency on American taxpayers and a tie on the battlefield,” the lawmakers said.
Mr. Biden’s request also includes $14 billion for efforts on the U.S. southern border. The White House hoped the addition would attract Republican support, but Republicans balked that the money was to assist illegal immigrants rather than secure the border.
Mr. Johnson is expected to press the president for tougher border policies in exchange for more Ukraine spending. Those policies would come from the Secure the Border Act, which passed this year in the House but has not been taken up by the Democratic-run Senate.
Mr. Crenshaw, in a letter to Mr. Johnson first obtained by The Washington Times, argued that House Republicans need to work on a response to Mr. Biden’s request before the Senate passes an “unacceptable version” of the emergency package.
“We believe that the House should not move an inch on additional funding unless we include in the package meaningful and effective border security reforms,” Mr. Crenshaw said. “Given the political realities we face, we believe that such reforms are only possible through the legislative vehicle of Ukraine aid.”
• Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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