A version of this story appeared on CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. CNN —
If Republicans win the House in the midterm elections, their pledge is to take a hard look at the money the US spends to help foot the bill – billions in security aid – to defend Ukraine against Russian invasion .
Kevin McCarthy, who would likely be Speaker of the House in January if Republicans win in November, still supports American aid. But if Republicans win the House, he said there won’t be another “blank check.”
President Joe Biden said McCarthy’s comments showed that today’s Republicans “have no sense of American foreign policy.”
“These guys don’t get it. It is much bigger than Ukraine – it is Eastern Europe. It’s NATO. It’s really, really, really serious fallout,” Biden said Thursday at a fundraiser in Philadelphia for Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman.
Because the next few months are critical for the future of Ukraine’s military
McCarthy expressed surprise on Wednesday that the Ukraine aid dispute had caused an uproar.
“Wouldn’t you like checks and balances in Congress? Wouldn’t you like this hard-working taxpayers’ money, someone to oversee it?” he told CNBC.
It’s wrong to paint Republicans with a single brush on this issue. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voiced firm support for funding Ukraine and issued a statement Friday pledging that the Senate GOP majority will continue to help Ukraine in its war against Russia.
But McCarthy’s suggestion that the House Republican majority could target Ukraine funding may be part of a larger shift in the war. And the split between McConnell and McCarthy on the issue could be a point of contention if the GOP wins control of the House.
McCarthy also said cutting spending in general would be a top priority for Republicans if they win control of the House.
Speaking on Fox on Thursday, pundit Laura Ingraham mocked former Vice President Mike Pence for referring to the US as the “arsenal of democracy” and suggested the US military is too depleted to help other countries.
He had a sympathetic guest in Pence’s fellow Indian, Rep. Jim Banks, who said the US should not deplete its own weapons cache to help a country in Europe. Keeping the weapons, he said, rather than putting them on the battlefield, would help the US stay stronger.
“This is the reality of this moment we are in today. We cannot put America first by giving blank checks to those around the world to solve their problems,” Banks said, echoing McCarthy’s language.
Lawmakers will have another chance to vote on funding Ukraine, likely this year as part of a larger government funding bill.
The last time the House voted directly on aid to Ukraine, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor – 368-57. The nays were all Republicans.
But you can feel the ground shifting as a new wave of Republicans hopes to sweep Washington.
Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama lost a Republican nomination for the Senate in his state and said he felt attacked for voting for aid to Ukraine by his opponent Katie Britt and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Bannon, it should be noted, has inspired many of former President Donald Trump’s policy positions and has consistently opposed US funding for Ukraine.
“I stand by my vote and I’m proud of it,” Brooks tweeted. “Putin must stop. Domestically, America must hold political opportunists to account.”
The US has committed more than any other country to Ukraine, according to a database of military, economic and humanitarian aid maintained by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. As a percentage of GDP, the US ranks sixth.
It has given a total of $18 billion in military aid to Ukraine since January 2021, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement last week, while announcing an additional $725 million in aid.
From CNN’s report on the latest $725 million approved by the Biden administration:
The assistance includes high-velocity anti-radiation missiles (HARMs), anti-tank weapons and small arms, as well as munitions for High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) and small arms, according to a Defense Department press release. The aid package also provides medical supplies, more than 200 high-mobility vehicles and thousands of artillery shells and Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) rounds.
Elon Musk, the billionaire who provided critical Starlink Internet service to Ukrainian forces, tried to get the Pentagon to start footing the bill for that service before backing down earlier this week.
Musk has expressed his support for Ukraine, but was criticized when he suggested a peace plan in line with Russia’s interests in a recent tweet. Read more on Starlink from CNN’s Alex Marquardt, who first reported that Musk was asking the Pentagon to foot the bill.
Even if Musk does not broker a peace plan and continues to provide Internet service to Ukrainians, his recent actions could be another sign of the beginning of fatigue in what has been mostly unified global support. Italy’s new governing coalition is expected to include former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who had friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
None of this means that there will be less US or world support for Ukraine, but it certainly means that powerful people—and people like McCarthy who may soon have a lot more power—are taking a closer look at how much is being spent.
