Speaker Johnson draws line in sand on sending more taxpayer dollars to Ukraine, demands Biden address the border crisis
Speaker Mike Johnson (R) is drawing a line in the sand on Ukraine military assistance.
On Monday, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young told Johnson that American aid to Ukraine will dry up by the end of the year without further congressional action.
"We are out of money — and nearly out of time," Young warned.
In late October, Biden asked Congress to pass a $106 billion funding bill that gives more than $61 billion to Ukraine. That would be on top of the $111 billion the U.S. has already sent Ukraine. But Johnson says not so fast.
The speaker sent Young a letter on Tuesday explaining that "supplemental Ukraine funding is dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws."
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And not only does the border crisis require more attention, but Johnson said Biden must give the American people answers about their strategy for helping Ukraine.
"The American people must be provided with answers to our repeated questions concerning: the Administration’s strategy to prevail in Ukraine; clearly defined and obtainable objectives; transparency and accountability for U.S. taxpayer dollars invested there; and what specific resources are required to achieve victory and a sustainable peace," Johnson explained.
He added:
President Biden must satisfy Congressional oversight inquiries about the Administration’s failure thus far to present clearly defined objectives, and its failure to provide essential weapons on a timely basis. American taxpayers deserve a full accounting of how prior U.S. military and humanitarian aid has been spent, and an explanation of the president’s strategy to ensure an accelerated path to victory. In light of the current state of the U.S. economy and the massive amount of our national debt, it is our duty in Congress to demand answers to these reasonable questions, and we still await the answers.
Johnson is right.
American support for Ukraine is waning, and the Biden administration has not sold the American people on why their tax dollars should help fight a war that is largely inconsequential for them, especially when economic concerns plague the average American.
Still, Johnson is not per se opposed to helping Ukraine; he simply wants accountability for the American people and for the White House to prioritize domestic concerns, like the border crisis. A solution, then, will likely require both sides to compromise.
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More than half of the nation says Congress should stop financing Ukraine, a country plagued by corruption.
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