Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a cool reception from the House in his appeal for billions of dollars more in U.S. aid as Republicans struggle to pass a government spending bill held back by a small group of hard-line fiscal conservatives.
Mr. Zelenskyy’s high-stakes visit to Washington on Thursday found a much warmer welcome in the Senate and later at the White House. President Biden affirmed the U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine fend off Russia and prepared to announce more military assistance to harden defenses.
A separate $24 billion spending package that Mr. Biden proposed has stalled. Mr. Zelenskyy desperately hopes to secure the U.S. aid to help battle Russian invaders, but the proposal can’t become law without House approval.
Ukraine war funding on Thursday became the latest flashpoint in House Republicans’ struggle to pass any spending legislation before a Sept. 30 deadline.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, proposed a deal on 2024 defense spending that most House Republicans believed would pass and would pave the way for a stopgap bill on overall government funding.
As Mr. Zelenskyy left the Capitol for his meeting at the White House, a small group of Republicans took advantage of the party’s tiny majority and blocked the defense bill, partly because it included a small package of funding for Ukraine worth roughly $300 million.
“I just voted ‘no’ to the rule for the defense bill because they refused to take the war money for Ukraine out and put it in a separate bill,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican. She pointed to polling that shows more than half of Americans and nearly three-quarters of Republicans “agree with me that we should stop funding a war in Ukraine.”
Mr. Zelenskyy’s reception in the House was far chillier than his visit in late December when he delivered an address to a joint session of Congress to thundering applause from both sides of the aisle.
Mr. Zelenskyy asked to deliver another joint address this week. The Democratic-led Senate agreed, but Mr. McCarthy declined.
“We just didn’t have time,” Mr. McCarthy said when asked why he rejected Mr. Zelenskyy’s request.
The public, particularly Republican voters, have grown weary of U.S. investment in the war.
Former President Donald Trump, the prohibitive leader in the Republican primary, has publicly criticized additional funding for “endless wars,” including in Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the U.S. has provided $114 billion in four rounds of aid since then.
A growing number of Republican lawmakers now want to stop U.S. support for the war until Mr. Zelenskyy and the Biden administration provide an accounting for the money and a plan for ending the war.
“Where’s the accountability on the money we already spent?” Mr. McCarthy asked this week.
A group of 28 Republicans from the House and Senate wrote to Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young to announce their opposition to the $24 billion request for Ukraine aid. They demanded details about how aid has been spent so far and an explanation of the administration’s strategy for Ukraine to win the war or wind down U.S. involvement.
Sen. J.D. Vance, Ohio Republican, wrote the letter after a classified briefing Wednesday about the status of the Ukraine war. “It became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources,” he said.
Mr. Zelenskyy met with a group of House lawmakers and then was escorted to the Senate, notably without Mr. McCarthy. Aides said the speaker was tied up gaveling in the House.
Mr. Zelenskyy was met by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican. Both support continued and robust U.S. aid to Ukraine in its battle against Russia.
Like other Republicans who support U.S. aid for the war, they see Russia’s encroachment in Ukraine as a broader threat to Europe and the U.S.
Mr. McConnell, who has faced criticism for supporting Ukraine funding, said the money is not “charity” but “an investment in our own self-interest.”
About 70 senators met with Mr. Zelenskyy in the Old Senate Chamber, a ceremonial room reserved for special events and VIPs.
Afterward, lawmakers in both parties praised Mr. Zelenskyy and echoed his call for the U.S. to continue providing money to push back Russia.
“We discussed the battlefield situation and priority defense needs, such as air defense,” Mr. Zelenskyy posted Thursday on X after the closed-door Senate meeting. “I hope that the U.S. Congress will continue to make important decisions to provide financial assistance to Ukraine. Oversight, transparency, and accountability for all the aid is absolutely important and imperative.”
After the meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy, Mr. Schumer repeated the warning that the Ukrainian leader delivered.
“Mr. Zelenskyy said if we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war,” Mr. Schumer said.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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