As Congress shows signs of resistance to extending financial aid to Ukraine, President Joe Biden warns that time is running out to ensure continuous support.
According to a CNBC report, Biden urged Congress to negotiate an aid package as soon as possible. The president made these remarks following Congress’s decision to drop Ukraine’s assistance from a short-term funding package to avert a government shutdown.
“The vast majority of both parties — Democrats and Republicans, Senate and House — support helping Ukraine and the brutal aggression that is being thrust upon them by Russia. Stop playing games, get this done,” he said.
Recent voting in the House highlighted the growing resistance to aiding Ukraine. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip $300 million from a defense spending bill earmarked for Ukrainian soldiers and weapons purchases. The funds were later approved separately.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) omitted additional Ukraine aid from a measure to keep the government running until Nov. 17. This action shut the door on a Senate package that would have allocated $6 billion to Ukraine, approximately one-third of what the White House had requested.
Despite these setbacks, President Biden assured U.S. allies that additional funding would be secured.
“We’re going to get it done,” he said, expressing disbelief that political reasons could lead to more needless deaths in Ukraine.
The U.S.’s wavering support for Ukraine suggests a gradual shift in its position and mirrors the Republican Party’s move towards a more isolationist stance. These actions come after a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stressed the importance of additional aid in continuing the fight against Russia.
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Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz on Flickr
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