Five Republican Congressmen held a press conference Nov. 17 to publicize their cosponsorship of a bill calling for auditing U.S. funding going to Ukraine, and several spoke out against sending any more money to Ukraine. They are continuing to publicize their demands, including no more funding to Ukraine. The resolution is led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). The co-sponsors appearing with her at the press conference were Matt Gaetz (FL), Barry Moore (AL), Andrew Clude (GA) and Thomas Massie (KY). They were joined by Representative-elect Cory Mills (R-FL).
Gaetz said, “I’m here as a member of the House Armed Services Committee to say that the days of endless cash and military materiel to Ukraine are numbered. I won’t vote for one more dollar to Ukraine. We are far too entangled in this conflict. We have extended this conflict. I wish the American people could see the extent to which our laws have been violated….” The night before, on Fox News Tucker Carlson program, Rep. Massie said, “We shouldn’t be sending another penny to Ukraine….”
The bill has been introduced as a privileged resolution, which means it will be referred to the relevant committee, whose members then have 14 business days to act on it—either reject it or approve it for a vote on the House floor. If the committee does not so act within the time frame, Greene, the lead sponsor, has the option of forcing a floor vote in the House, without the procedure of committee action.
Before the new Congress is sworn in, in January 2023, it is likely that the resolution, if a vote occurs, will lose in the House. Greene addressed that directly at the press conference: “I’ll introduce this resolution again [in 2023], but I’ll also be calling for a full audit. We voted ‘no’ to send money over there, but we’re also going to audit what’s happening in Ukraine.”
Already, the U.S. has approved $43 billion to Ukraine, and President Biden last week called for another $37.7 billion of additional funding to be approved by Congress. The breakdown of the $43 billion is: $20 billion in military assistance, $10 billion in humanitarian aid, and about $13 billion in economic assistance.
