Donald Tusk, prime minister of Poland, warned that the lives of millions of people are on the line and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to act on aid for Ukraine, which has failed to move forward after passing the Senate.
Although Tusk acknowledged that Congress and Johnson had different political views on how to finance Ukraine, he insisted that Johnson’s choice would have far-reaching consequences. In contrast to the $60 billion allocated to Ukraine in the Senate measure, the $300 million that the Biden administration has said it will send to replenish its army is pitiful.
No legislation will make it to the floor under Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership, the minority party’s leadership. Although 70 senators, including 22 Republicans, voted in favor of the $95 billion foreign aid plan last month, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) opposes the measure. The longer the deadlock persists, the more pressure is mounting on Johnson to deploy aid to Ukraine before the elections in November.
In light of Russia’s recent successes, some high-profile GOP committee chairs have called for increased military aid to Kyiv. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and a small group of other Republicans have started a discharge petition to put “pressure” on GOP leaders to vote on funding for Ukraine.
Polish President Andrzej Duda warned that Poland would be next in line for Russian retaliation if Russia were to win the conflict in Ukraine in a meeting with congressional leaders, including Johnson. As Jeffries pointed out in highlighting Duda’s message, the threat of Russian invasion of a NATO member would prompt the United States to become more involved, which would put American soldiers in danger.
The president or Congress will approve no new foreign aid until Johnson gets his way, and Democrats in both houses of Congress are dead set against any measures to restrict immigration at the southern border. Because of the stalemate, many are wondering how or if Johnson plans to increase funding for the Ukrainian government. Many conservatives in the House are against the idea and would rather see Washington concentrate on domestic issues.
