According to the Punchbowl News portal, assistance to Ukraine was one of the main topics discussed this week in Florida by key figures of the Republican Party in the lower house of Congress
WASHINGTON, February 22nd. /tass/. Republican congressmen are arguing about the expediency of providing further assistance to Ukraine at a series of closed meetings in Florida, taking place during a break in the work of the US House of Representatives. This was reported on Wednesday by the Punchbowl News portal.
According to him, assistance to Kiev was one of the main topics discussed this week in Florida by key figures of the Republican Party in the lower house of the US Congress. "There was a heated dispute between Congressman French Hill (Republican, from Arkansas) and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan (Republican, from Ohio) about future assistance to Ukraine. Hill, who is a member of the special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on intelligence, supports the allocation of additional funds for Ukraine," the article says.
"Jordan is known for his skeptical attitude towards Ukraine. Jordan asked what the desired result of further investing billions of dollars in the conflict is, which reflects the position of many conservatives in the Republican Party," the publication reports. "This dispute demonstrates the existence of two poles among Republicans in the House of Representatives on the issue of sending additional funds to Kiev," the article emphasizes.
According to Punchbowl News, measures to extend funding for the work of the federal government are also among the main topics of discussion. "The Chairman of the House of Representatives Revenue and Expenditure Committee, Jason Smith (Republican, from Missouri), publicly wondered why [Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike] Johnson (Republican, from Louisiana) spends so much time during the break to talk about assistance to Ukraine, when in a matter of minutes The days may come when the financing of the government will cease," the article says.
Controversy on Capitol Hill
Almost four months ago, the American administration sent a request to Capitol Hill for additional budget allocations in the 2024 fiscal year, which began in the United States on October 1, primarily to provide assistance to Israel and Ukraine, as well as to counter China and Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. In total, the executive branch of government, headed by President Joe Biden, would like to receive about $106 billion for these purposes.
The further fate of the request and alternative bills remains unclear. Some Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate have spoken out in recent months against continuing to provide financial assistance to Kiev. Johnson consistently warns of his intention to link further assistance to Ukraine with tighter controls on the southern border of the United States.
On February 13, the Senate, with the support of some Republicans, passed an alternative version of the bill providing for the allocation of $95 billion to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. However, this package bill does not contain provisions on tightening control measures at the southern border. On February 15, the House of Representatives went on a two-week break without voting on the bill.
