House

Pompeo puts support behind Johnson in pushing aid for Ukraine

by Laura Kelly - 04/18/24 4:13 PM ET

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HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON IS PLANNING TO HOLD VOTES ON FOUR SEPARATE BILLS TOTALING ABOUT 95 BILLION DOLLARS. ONE WOULD SEND AID TO ISRAEL, ANOTHER TO TAIWAN, AND THE BULK OF THE MONEY WOULD GO TO HELP UKRAINE. < Rep. Mike Johnson, (R) Louisiana "I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys. My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live fire exercise for me as it is for so many American families." > [Duration:0:10] THE PLAN IS DRAWING OUTRAGE FROM MORE CONSERVATIVE MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS. < Rep. Ralph Norman, (R) South Carolina "I feel for Ukraine. I feel for Israel. But I feel for the American people." > [Duration:0:04] < Rep. Chip Roy, (R) Texas "None of it is going to address the southern border." > [Duration:0:03] AND SEVERAL REPUBLICANS ARE THREATENING TO REMOVE SPEAKER JOHNSON FROM HIS POSITION OVER THIS PACKAGE. BUT JOHNSON SAYS IT'S WORTH THE RISK. < Rep. Mike Johnson, (R) Louisiana "we can't play politics with this we have to do the right thing." > [Duration:0:03] THE MAJORITY OF DEMOCRATS SAY THEY SUPPORT THE PUSH TO SEND THIS FOREIGN AID. < Rep. Rosa DeLauro, (D) Connecticut "I applaud Speaker Johnson for taking a stand. He is right." > [Duration:0:05] ARGUING THAT THE HOUSE SHOULD HAVE ACTED EVEN SOONER TO HELP U.S. ALLIES WHO ARE IN DESPERATE NEED. < Rep. Jim McGovern, (D) Massachusetts "If we do not help Ukraine fight for their democracy and fight to protect their sovereignty this war will not end. It will grow. It will grow!" > [Duration:0:08] < HANNAH TAG THE HOUSE IS EXPECTED TO VOTE ON THE BILLS THIS WEEKEND, AND THEN THEY WOULD GO TO THE SENATE. PRESIDENT BIDEN SAYS AS SOON AS THEY REACH HIS DESK, THEY'LL SIGN IT. IN WASHINGTON, I'M HANNAH BRANDT. > < SUGGESTED QUESTION THE FOURTH FOREIGN AID BILL INCLUDES A COMBINATION OF PROPOSALS RIGHT? WHAT CAN YOU TELLS US ABOUT THAT? > < ANSWER YES, IT WOULD PUT SANCTIONS ON IRAN, RUSSIA AND CHINA. IT WOULD ALSO ALLOW THE U-S TO SEIZE FROZEN RUSSIAN BANK ASSETS. AND IT INCLUDES AN ADJUSTED VERSION OF THE TIKTOK BAN. >" station="" title="" feed="" html_embed="true" no_pr="false" disable_muted_autoplay="false" expect_preroll="true" json_feed="" class="" /]

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has come out in support of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) plan to deliver U.S. aid for Ukraine, part of an effort to bolster defenses around the Speaker as he bucks hard-line conservative opponents in his party.

In a letter sent to Johnson on Thursday, Pompeo applauded him for moving ahead to “secure vital support to America’s allies and to strengthen America’s defenses.”

“The danger to Americans is clear and it is present. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has declared his aim to create a new Russian empire and has been working toward that goal for decades,” Pompeo, who served under former President Trump, wrote in the letter. It was co-authored by retired four-star Gen. Jack Keane, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020 from Trump.

The letter seeks to counter GOP lawmakers and conservatives who are embracing Trump’s MAGA isolationist movement and criticizing U.S. support for Ukraine.

While Trump has put support behind Johnson amid threats to oust him for moving forward on Ukraine aid, the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee has amplified grievances that U.S. support for allies abroad should not supersede American problems at home.

Republican supporters of aid for Ukraine and Democrats argue that America can support allies and partners abroad while also investing in the U.S.

“Opponents of supporting Ukraine have been allowed to misrepresent the nature of that assistance for too long,” Pompeo and Keane wrote.

“No one is asking Americans to fight or die for Ukraine, least of all Ukrainians. No one is asking American taxpayers simply to hand Ukraine tens of billions of dollars. On the contrary, the overwhelming majority of the money spent on aid to Ukraine is helping rebuild America’s defense industry.”

Pompeo and Keane continued, “We support aiding Ukraine because that is the best way to help Americans; the best way to reduce the risk that future generations will have to take up arms in Europe, the Middle East, or Asia. Winston Churchill warned that while free nations sleep, dictators plan. No nation is ever served by ignoring the ambitions of its enemies.”

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Tags Jack Keane Mike Johnson Mike Pompeo Ukraine aid Vladimir Putin