Republicans oppose 'blank check' for Ukraine to limit US spending

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Aug 2023 20:06

The House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative Republicans in the US House of Representatives, declared their intent to oppose unrestricted funding for Ukraine.

US Representative Andy Biggs joined by members of the House Freedom Caucus, speaks on the debt limit deal outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 30, 2023 (AFP)

The House Freedom Caucus issued a statement on Monday saying that they would oppose any "blank check" for Ukraine in future supplemental appropriation bills, adding that they would vote against a continuing resolution on stopgap funding in order to circumvent the government shutdown in October.

The Freedom Caucus is a group of "the most far-right" Republicans in the United States House of Representatives, currently holding 45 out of the 435 seats.

"[I]n the eventuality that Congress must consider a short-term extension of government funding through a Continuing Resolution, we refuse to support any such measure that continues Democrats' bloated COVID-era spending and simultaneously fails to force the Biden Administration to follow the law and fulfill its most basic responsibilities," the caucus stated

"We will oppose any blank check for Ukraine in any supplemental appropriations bill," its members stressed.

The Republican representatives say that several conditions must be met before they consider voting for resolutions, including legal regulation of the flow of migrants to the US, as well as resolutions that aim to end politically motivated cases launched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice.

The bloc reiterated its commitment to restoring the 2022 topline spending of $1.471 trillion in order to return the US government to the COVID-19 expenditure and allow for adequate defense spending.

They also questioned Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's statement where they agreed to pass a resolution on additional funding until December to avoid a government shutdown after discussions with House Speaker Kevin MacCarthy.

Earlier on August 15, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Congress to pass a supplemental for additional assistance for Ukraine.

"I urge Congress to pass this legislation funding, the supplemental funding... right away," Blinken said.

This comes after the White House Office of Management and Budget released a supplemental funding request to Congress on Thursday in the amount of $40 billion. $24 billion of it are intended for additional assistance for Ukraine. The request also includes assistance for disaster relief along with other World Bank programs.

Ukraine has been the recipient of substantial financial support from its allies following Russia's military operation in February 2022.

The United States alone has contributed over $100 billion in military, economic, and humanitarian supplies to the country.

Meanwhile, the majority of Americans believe the US has supported Ukraine in its continuing struggle with Russia sufficiently and would argue against allocating extra funds for the nation, according to a recent poll conducted by pollster Social Science-Research Solutions (SSRS) and commissioned by CNN.