Republicans in a new letter to the White House are vowing to oppose further aid to Ukraine, asking questions about where the money’s going and whether Kyiv is making progress against Russia.
“The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to. How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine?” reads the letter, with more than two dozen signatures from senators and members of Congress.
The lawmakers argue in the letter that it would be “an absurd abdication of congressional responsibility” to grant the White House request for additional aid without answers to the inquiries.
“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.”
Republican Sens. JD Vance (Ohio), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Mike Braun (Ind.) are among the signatures, as are GOP Reps. Chip Roy (Texas), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Clay Higgins (La.) and Byron Donalds (Fla.).
“Yesterday at a classified briefing over Ukraine, it became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources. Enough is enough. To these and future requests, my colleagues and I say: NO,” Vance wrote on X, sharing the letter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is returning to Washington on Thursday, less than a year after his last visit to the U.S. capital, and is expected to meet with congressional leadership and some lawmakers during his visit.
President Biden has requested $24 billion in additional funding for Ukraine as the country continues to fend of Russian aggression, a year-and-a-half after Moscow invaded its neighbor.
“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. It is difficult to envision a benign explanation for this lack of clarity,” the lawmakers’ letter reads.