Senate appropriators vow bipartisan Ukraine aid despite House uncertainty

A bipartisan group of top Senate appropriators stressed their commitment Wednesday to providing aid to Ukraine after funding for the war effort was excluded from the temporary spending measure and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted from the position on Tuesday.

“It is clear as day that continued American military and economic support for Ukraine is indispensable, and critical to our own national security,” Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), who lead the critical Appropriations committee, said.

BIDEN EXTENDS $9 BILLION MORE OF STUDENT DEBT RELIEF TO 125,000 BORROWERS

“Here in the Senate, we are going to be working in a bipartisan way to continue delivering the support our Ukrainian allies are counting on,” the senators added.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have made it clear they intend to move forward on a major Ukraine bill despite the fact the next House speaker may not be as willing to entertain it.

“We’ll work together to get a big package done,” Schumer said, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, referencing a conversation he had with McConnell.

The Senate abandoned a previous bipartisan continuing resolution that included $6 billion of Ukraine aid after McCarthy abruptly changed course Saturday morning, announcing the House would be taking up its own measure, which it was taken out of.

Currently, the Biden administration does not have transfer authority to send weapons from U.S. stockpiles to Ukraine. It was left out of the continuing resolution over the weekend and cannot be approved without a speaker. McCarthy had indicated he would take action on it this week before he was ousted from his position. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), a candidate for speaker, has made it clear he does not support new aid.

This comes as eight Senate Democrats are calling on leaders in both chambers to act urgently on Ukraine aid. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a vulnerable senator up for reelection in 2024 in a state former President Donald Trump won by 8 points in 2020, led the letter, urging lawmakers to provide “critical and sustained security and economic support” to Ukraine.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

One possible move forward for the Senate is to use a recently passed House bill that provided $300 million in funding for Ukraine. The legislation was passed after the money was taken out of a House Republican-drafted defense bill.

But that’s only a small portion of the $24 billion the Biden administration requested for three months of aid.