Ukrainian drones fly without ammunition. Russian artillery fires deadly barrages from safe positions beyond the range of Kiev forces. US Congressional leaders warn that ammunition and supply shortages are losing ground to Moscow, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has shown little rush to resupply Ukraine with military aid.
Across Washington, officials view the decline in ammunition shipments with increasing concern. It has now been more than two months since the United States – which since World War II has positioned itself as the “arsenal of democracy” – sent military supplies to Ukraine.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson appears determined to chart his own course away from a $95 billion foreign aid package passed by the Senate — a decision that could stall the package for weeks to come after an already grueling, months-long wait in Congress.
With US military shipments cut off, Ukrainian forces withdrew from the eastern city of Avdiivka last month, where outnumbered defenders held off a Russian offensive for four months. Delays in military support from the West complicate the task of military tacticians in Kiev, forcing troops to ration ammunition and ultimately costing the lives of Ukrainian soldiers.
“If Ukraine gets aid, they will win,” said Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who recently visited Ukraine. “If they don’t get aid, they will lose, with dire consequences for the United States.”
Defense officials are discussing options, which include potentially tapping existing stockpiles even before Congress approves funding to replenish them, according to Sen. Jack Reed, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. At a White House meeting this week, President Biden, top Democrats in Congress and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky took turns strongly urging Johnson to accept a Senate-passed package that would provide $60 billion in aid to Kiev. .
So far, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives has rejected this.
The Louisiana Republican – who has spent only four months in his powerful position as president, and is second in line for the presidency – is under intense pressure from all parties. The leaders of 23 European parliaments signed an open letter urging them to approve the aid. Within his ranks in the House of Representatives, senior Republicans are concerned about inaction, even as other far-right members threaten to try to remove him from leadership if he provides aid to Kiev.
“The House of Representatives is actively considering options to move forward, but our first responsibility is to fund the government and our primary and most important responsibility – which has been the case over the past three years – is to secure the border,” Johnson said in a press conference. Press Conference.
Johnson responded to pressure on Ukraine by saying the House only received funding legislation in mid-February after the Senate took four months to negotiate, including enforcement policies on the US-Mexico border. The agreement on border security quickly collapsed after Republicans, including Johnson, criticized the proposal as insufficient. However, Johnson and other House Republicans are once again hoping to secure some political gains on border security.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Congress late last year, he told Johnson that military aid would continue until February. But going into Congress in March, Johnson has so far allowed House members to draft their own proposals and has revealed little about his plans for the package.
“We are well beyond the time frame that this should have taken, and this analysis and careful consideration by the House should have been completed before the end of the year or very shortly after the new year,” said Republican Rep. French Hill of Arkansas. .
Hill and several other top Republicans are pressing Johnson to act by crafting a new national security package in the House. That bill, being drafted by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and key appropriators, is expected to come in less than the Senate's $95 billion package, but includes several similar provisions — including money that Ukraine, Israel and allies in the Pacific Ocean region could Indo-Pacific countries use them to purchase US military equipment, as well as some humanitarian aid.
It may also include a version of the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act, or the Repo Act, which would allow the United States to tap frozen Russian central bank assets to compensate Ukraine for damage caused by the invasion, Hill said. He said that would save taxpayer money in the long run and help win Republican votes in the House.
“It's more about finding a way forward,” said veteran Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chairman of the Rules Committee. But a large majority of both houses of Congress wants to help Ukraine. “You had 70 votes there, and the vote here will be much higher than 300 votes,” he said of the Senate's strong support.
Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire, who leads a caucus of centrist Democrats called the New Democrats, said many in her party are willing to help Johnson pass a military aid package if he gets it to the floor. But she said the bill, which has already passed the Senate, would gain broader support.
“We are at a critical moment now, and I encourage Speaker Johnson to work with us,” Koster said. “He has a slim majority.”
At the same time, any decision by the Pentagon to send weapons to Ukraine before Congress approves funding would be risky. Since there is no money to replenish the equipment and weapons sent, the Army will deplete its stocks and potentially risk harming the unit's war readiness.
In addition, there are concerns that the Pentagon's action may discourage Congress from moving quickly on the funding bill.
Reed said it would make more sense for Congress to approve the supplemental package, because then the Pentagon could immediately order the equipment they withdraw. We take risks without pulling equipment and not being able to replace it or having confidence in the replacement.
Groves and Mascaro are reporters for The Associated Press.
