Alarm grows in Kyiv, Washington as GOP House blocks Ukraine aid [View all]

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Congress on Saturday moved to block new aid for Ukraine in its government spending deal, a rebuke to Kyiv with geopolitical reverberations that came despite a concerted lobbying push from senior Biden officials and the highest-ranking GOP senator.

Although the White House said Ukraine needed $20.6 billion in aid to fight Russia’s invasion, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) stripped all funds for the U.S. ally from the government spending bill, under immense pressure from a GOP caucus that has increasingly turned against Biden’s handling of the war. The Senate had advanced a bipartisan bill to send roughly $6 billion to Ukraine, but Democrats wary of being blamed for a government shutdown were moving to approve the House version with only hours to go before federal appropriations expired.

The rejection of the money — nine days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington and pleaded with lawmakers to maintain their support — reflects hardening GOP opposition to helping Ukraine and will send immediate shock waves through European capitals and the government in Kyiv.

-snip-

Ukraine’s supporters in the House, Senate and White House say they will not give up despite the defeat, emphasizing that most members of Congress still support the additional funding. They also note that the stopgap spending bill moving Saturday will only fund the government until mid-November, providing another opportunity for pushing again for money for Ukraine.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/30/ukraine-aid-government-shutdown/