Retiring West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin called on the House to pass the Ukraine aid bill and warned that the House’s failure to act could become the “worst atrocity in history,” The Hill reported.
Appearing at Axios’ annual “What’s Next Summit” in Washington on March 19, Manchin told Axios reporter Niala Boodhoo that if Congress did not approve additional funding for Ukraine before the end of spring, “God help us.”
He said it would go down in history as the “worst atrocity” done by Congress.
The New York Times reported last Monday that Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has been seeking a path forward on Ukraine funding as pressure mounts on the House to approve the aid package.
In a March 22 statement before Congress left for Easter recess, Johnson said the House would address the supplement foreign aid spending bill passed by the Senate when it returned after the holiday.
Johnson said he had been “discussing options” with Republican members and was “preparing to complete our plan for action.”
In the meantime, the speaker has been under intense international pressure to move forward with a vote. The New York Times reported that Johnson has received weekly calls and visits from NATO allies and pro-Ukraine groups.
Earlier this month, Polish President Andrzej Dudo met privately with Speaker Johnson and prevailed on the speaker’s respect for former President Ronald Reagan to encourage him to bring the aid measure to a vote.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk delivered a stark public message to the speaker, saying that this was not just a “political skirmish” that mattered only in America. He said Speaker Johnson’s failure to move the bill forward would “cost thousands of lives” in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has threatened to hold a snap vote to vacate Johnson’s speakership if he allows a vote on the supplemental foreign aid package.
