Follow us on social

Screen-shot-2022-11-15-at-4.02.45-pm

Biden wants $37B more for Ukraine, setting up lame-duck fight

Conservatives say they will fight to prevent aid debate until new House majority takes over in the new year.

Europe

The White House requested an additional $37.7 billion in aid for Ukraine Tuesday, with more than half of the aid going toward arms transfers and restocking U.S. weapons stockpiles. If fulfilled, the request would more than double the total security aid that Washington has provided to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion in February.

The request sets the Biden administration up for a battle with conservative groups, several of which signed on to a recent letter that called on Washington to allow the newly elected Congress to be seated before lawmakers consider further funding for Ukraine.

“Proponents want to move before new majorities in either the House or Senate have an opportunity to weigh in on America’s Ukraine policy on behalf of increasingly skeptical constituents,” wrote the signatories, which included the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, Defense Priorities, and Concerned Veterans for America. 

“Pushing through another aid package during this Congress’ lame-duck session with little debate or consideration for the will of the American people would disregard legislators’ responsibilities to U.S. interests,” they continued, arguing that such a move "flouts the will of American voters.”

The move could also see pushback in Congress: Conservative lawmakers like Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) opposed the decision to include Ukraine aid in a government funding resolution back in September, and others, including incoming House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have questioned whether Kyiv should get a “blank check” from Washington.

Ukraine’s supporters in Congress have advocated for passing a lame-duck bill in order to assuage fears that a Republican-led House would be able to block future aid. Given the razor-thin majority that the GOP is expected to hold and the broad support for Ukraine among lawmakers, it is unclear whether these concerns are likely to turn into a reality.

If passed, the additional funds would increase the total assistance that Congress has authorized this year to over $100 billion, more than three times the amount that the U.S. is expected to spend annually on President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. 

Congress will likely take up the request in the coming weeks as it seeks to pass a spending bill that will keep the government funded past mid-December, when the current round of funding is set to expire.

It is unclear if a future aid package would include greater oversight for arms sent to Ukraine, which advocates and even Ukrainian officials have called for in recent months.


House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)and President Joe Biden (Michael F. Hiatt / Shutterstock)
Europe
Trump should take the victory in Canada and move on
Top photo credit: Pierre Poilievre and Mark Carney (Yan Parisien; bella1105 via shutterstock)

Trump should take the victory in Canada and move on

North America

Just days after replacing Justin Trudeau and becoming Canada’s 24th prime minister, Mark Carney has advised Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament. Canadians will now head to the polls on April 28 for a long awaited and highly anticipated federal election.

Trudeau had announced his intention to resign as prime minister and Liberal Party leader on January 6, having served more than nine years as Canada’s head of government. Opinion polling had shown an increasingly sizable lead for the rival Conservative Party over the preceding 18 months, with about 25 percentage points separating the two parties by the time Trudeau announced he was stepping down.

keep readingShow less
Alexander Vindman's new book is a folly: of history, and the truth
Top photo credit: Alexander Vindman (Philip Yabut/Shutterstock) and the cover of his new book (publisher, PublicAffairs)

Alexander Vindman's new book is a folly: of history, and the truth

Europe

Alexander Vindman’s recent book, “The Folly of Realism,”throws down the gauntlet, as the name suggests, at the “realists” he thinks were responsible for failing to deter Russia and seize opportunities for defense cooperation with Ukraine.

According to Vindman, the former National Security Council official who testified against President Trump during his impeachment trial in 2019, this “realist” behavior incentivized Moscow’s continued imperialist predations, culminating in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

keep readingShow less
arrest free speech
Top photo credit: Spaxiax/Shutterstock

Does Vance’s free speech defense in Munich not apply here?

Global Crises

At the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned Europe not to back away from one of the West’s most basic democratic values: free speech.

“In Washington there is a new sheriff in town," he said, "and under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square, agree or disagree.”

keep readingShow less

Trump transition

Latest

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.