Republicans BACK Marjorie Taylor Greene’s proposal to audit the $67.3 billion in economic and military aid sent to Ukraine under Biden
- Republicans on Tuesday rallied behind Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s proposal to audit the piles of funds sent to Ukraine in its war with Russia
- The effort failed in the Democrat-controlled House Foreign Affairs Committee
- Shows there will be added scrutiny to President Biden’s requests for aid to Ukraine when the House majority shifts to the right in January
- The Biden administration has been able to get $67.3 billion passed through Congress to send to Ukraine in less than one year
- Another proposal is currently on the table to send an additional $37.7 billion in aid, which would bring the total to a whopping $105.5 billion
Republicans are rallying behind far-right Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s proposal to audit the piles of money President Joe Biden has sent to Ukraine to aid in the war with Russia.
Although the measure was defeated in a 26-22 vote in the Democrat-controlled House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, mainstream Republicans showed support for Greene’s proposal to audit U.S. military and economic aid for Ukraine.
The vote is the strongest signal yet that Republicans will put Biden’s support for the war effort under stricter scrutiny when the new Congress is sworn in and the GOP takes a majority in the lower chamber in January.
Democrats, who still control the House Foreign Affairs Committee for now, said a vote to audit the money could send a message to Ukraine that the U.S. does not support its war with Russia.
So far, the Biden administration has been able to get $67.3 billion passed through Congress to send to Ukraine in less than one year. The war in Eastern Europe started in February when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Another proposal is currently on the table to send an additional $37.7 billion in aid, which would bring the total to a whopping $105.5 billion.
Republicans on Tuesday rallied behind Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s proposal to audit the piles of funds sent to Ukraine in its war with Russia
Of the money allocated since earlier this year, more than half – 38.3 billion – has gone toward military aid to help arm and weaponize Ukraine. The rest has been divided among money for humanitarian efforts, Ukraine’s government and other domestic funds for the U.S. government to assist.
Republicans argue that Biden has essentially written a blank check for Ukraine, sending more money at every request from the Eastern European nation in its war with Russia.
‘It’s official the Democrats have voted NO to transparency for the American people for an Audit for Ukraine,’ Greene tweeted on Tuesday following the vote.
‘But we take over in January!’ the Georgia Republican continued. ‘This audit will happen!’
Congress has passed three separate aid packages and is considering the fourth, which is designed to last through the end of Fiscal Year 2023 – but at the current rate of spending is estimated to only last until around May.
Ukraine is currently spending $6.8 billion per month in its war with Russia.
In the less than one-year of war in Eastern Europe, the U.S. has sent $67.3 billion in aid under President Biden
Rep. Greene said Democrats voted ‘no to transparency’ in the 26-22 vote on Tuesday. Democrats said they didn’t want to send a message that the U.S. did not support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia
The aid first package was passed in March, about one month after Ukraine was invaded, and included 13.6 billion in the massive $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2022.
The second was a standalone bill providing $40 billion in aid, which was passed in May and contains the most major portion of assistance sent so far.
The third package was attached to the continuing resolution and included $13.7 billion to provide aid through December.
Biden’s administration submitted a new aid request on November 15 for an additional $37.7 billion. When that money runs out, the White House would need to ask for additional money, unless the war has ended by then.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley, a longtime China hawk, insists it’s time to move on from giving aid to Ukraine and shift focus to prioritizing sending arms to Taiwan.
‘Taiwan is Beijing’s next step toward dominating the Indo-Pacific region,’ Hawly write in a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. ‘If Beijing succeeds, it would have dire ramifications for Americans’ national security, as well as our economic security and freedom of action.’
The Missouri senator argued that Chinese encroachment on the Indo-Pacific was a bigger threat to the U.S. than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also noted that the U.S.’s 10 months-long effort to arm Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s aggression was ‘impeding’ the U.S.’s ability to prevent war in Asia .
‘Averting the real and growing threat from China requires us to expedite delivery to Taiwan of the weapons it needs to defend itself—provided Taiwan commits to an asymmetric defense, significantly increases its own defense spending, and pursues necessary defense reforms,’ he wrote. ‘Your Administration, however, is doing the reverse. You are prioritizing arms to Ukraine over our vital security interests in Asia.’