House GOP Swallows Ukraine Funding It Had Opposed Only Months Ago [View all]

The new spending bill to keep the federal government open past Friday includes a dollop of funding to help Ukraine fight off invading Russians — even though House Republicans had rejected the cash a few months ago and giving Ukraine any more money may endanger House Speaker Mike Johnson’s standing in the party.

Buried in the 1,000-page-plus spending bill is a provision giving Ukraine $300 million to use on training, weapons and replenishing U.S. stocks of weapons sent there, among other things.

The amount is a pittance compared to the about $60 billion the Biden administration has requested to last Ukraine past the November elections and is in the bipartisan Senate foreign aid package that has yet to be taken up by the House.

But any amount of money going to Ukraine, which has been fighting off an unprovoked full-scale invasion by Russia since February 2022, is likely to set off alarm bells within part of the House Republican conference, where skepticism about Ukraine runs deep and the money at issue was rejected by most of the party in September.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-gop-swallows-ukraine-funding-195644081.html

Ken Buck becomes first Republican to sign Democrats’ discharge petition for Ukraine aid

Rep. Ken Buck (Colo.) became the first GOP member to sign the House Democrats’ discharge position for foreign aid Thursday, just one day before he is set to retire from Congress.

The discharge petition, formally launched earlier this month by House Democrats, is an attempt to force consideration of a Senate-passed $95 million foreign aid package, which includes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine.

The petition, sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), was up to 188 signatures as of Thursday, according to House clerk records. It requires 218 signatures to force consideration.

Democrats are arguing the discharge petition is the most efficient way to pass aid for Ukraine, as funding for the war-torn nation remains stalled amid divisions in Congress.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ken-buck-becomes-first-republican-003443964.html