Republicans pen letter rejecting Biden’s request for additional Ukraine aid

A bicameral group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to the White House rejecting President Joe Biden’s request for additional aid to Ukraine, arguing there hasn’t been enough transparency about how funding has been spent.

A group of 29 GOP senators and members sent the letter to White House Budget Director Shalanda Young on Thursday, coinciding with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit with congressional leaders to lobby for increased aid. The letter comes in response to a request from the White House last month for an additional $24 billion in aid that is not connected to the country’s annual spending bill — a request that has put both chambers at odds as they attempt to avert a government shutdown.

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“The vast majority of Congress remains unaware of how much the United States has spent to date in total on this conflict, information which is necessary for Congress to prudently exercise its appropriations power,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is difficult to envision a benign explanation for this lack of clarity.”

The group pressed the White House to answer questions about previous aid given to the war-torn country, including details on counteroffensive strategies and what assistance the U.S. has provided since Russia invaded a year and a half ago. The letter also requests information on whether Biden has an exit plan for when the war is over, pressing the president on what “the administration define[s] as victory in Ukraine.”

“It would be an absurd abdication of congressional responsibility to grant this request without knowing the answers to these questions,” they wrote. “For these reasons — and certainly until we receive answers to the questions above and others forthcoming — we oppose the additional expenditure for war in Ukraine included in your request.”

The letter is being led by Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) in the Senate and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) in the House, who have both been outspoken about U.S. funding to Ukraine, especially with the backdrop of a looming government shutdown. A total of 29 Republicans signed on to the letter, representing a small percentage of the total number of GOP lawmakers in Congress, making it unclear how much support there is among the party to support Ukraine.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) emerged from the closed-door meeting expressing support for Ukraine aid, noting that “the majority of the majority support this.”

“We need to give them everything they need. If this administration won’t give it to them, then I submitted that we write it in our appropriations,” McCaul said. “They need it, and they’re going to get it.”

Since the invasion began in February 2022, Congress has approved roughly $114 billion in military assistance to go toward supplemental funding for Ukraine, as well as other countries affected by the war, the lawmakers wrote. However, it’s not entirely clear how all the money has been spent, prompting criticism from several conservatives who have called for a cease in financial aid.

That criticism has bled into negotiations over government spending, with some lawmakers using it as a redline in budgetary talks. Among those is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who did not sign the bicameral letter but has been outspoken about withholding aid to Ukraine.

“Americans are suffering in Lahaina, East Palestine, and now Eagle Pass has issued an emergency declaration because thousands of migrants from all over the world invaded their border town. We are $33 trillion in debt,” Greene told the Washington Examiner. “The only thing U.S. leaders should be talking with Zelensky about it is a permanent ceasefire and ending the war, not writing him a check to continue grinding Ukraine to a bloody stump.”

Zelensky is set to meet with congressional leaders on Thursday before meeting with Biden and the Pentagon later in the day. The visit marks his second trip to the U.S. since Russia invaded Ukraine early last year.

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The Ukrainian president is not expected to make a joint address to Congress, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) noting there “wasn’t enough time” to schedule the speech amid government spending talks.

“Zelensky asked for a joint session. We just didn’t have time,” McCarthy said. “He’s already given a joint session, so what we’re doing for Zelensky is exactly the same thing we did for the prime minister of [the United Kingdom] and the prime minister of Italy.”