Freedom Caucus Warns Not to Use Iran Attacks As 'Bogus' Pretext for Ukraine Funding
On Monday, the House Freedom Caucus warned Republican leadership not to use Iran's attack on Israel over the weekend as a justification to pass aid for Ukraine, calling the pretext "bogus."
In an official position statement, the right-wing group wrote:
The House Freedom Caucus stands unequivocally with Israel. Congress should provide aid to Israel — and the House has already done so nearly five months ago and paid for it. The Senate must act immediately to take up H.R. 6126, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, to support our ally.
Under no circumstances will the House Freedom Caucus abide using the emergency situation in Israel as a bogus justification to ram through Ukraine aid with no offset and no security for our own wide-open borders.
While the Freedom Caucus advocated for the Senate to consider a stand-alone $14.3 billion aid bill for Israel, which the House had previously approved in November, Senate Democrats have already deemed the legislation a "non-starter," and President Joe Biden vowed to veto it if passed. The bill also includes equal cuts to IRS funding, which Democrats oppose, along with separating aid packages for Israel and Ukraine.
The position from the Freedom Caucus comes as the House prepares to enter debates over foreign aid this week. Speaker Mike Johnson's approach remains uncertain amid a challenge to his leadership. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has threatened to force a vote on his removal if Ukraine aid is put on the floor, while additional funding for Ukraine is becoming increasingly unfavorable among the GOP conference.
After a meeting with Speaker Johnson last week, Rep. Greene said, "Right now, he does not have my support, and I’m watching what happens with FISA and Ukraine."
During a weekend interview, Speaker Johnson told Fox News' “Sunday Morning Futures” that the House would "try again" to pass a package for Israel but declined to say if Ukraine aid would be included in the bill, saying:
The details of that package are being put together right now. We’re looking at the options on all these supplemental issues.
Leadership in both parties is pressuring Speaker Johnson to bring up a vote on a $95 billion Senate supplemental military aid package that includes aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, which the Senate passed in February, in a bipartisan 70-29 vote. House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) wrote a letter to his colleagues on Monday urging the passage of the legislation in the House and saying, "This is a Churchill or Chamberlain moment."
In a statement on Saturday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pushed for the passage of the supplemental aid that has been stalled for months, writing:
Congress must also do its part. The national security supplemental that has waited months for action will provide critical resources to Israel and our own military forces in the region.
In the weekend interview, Speaker Johnson discussed the possibility of converting Ukraine aid into a loan, a proposal advocated by former President Donald Trump during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, saying that they are “100 percent united on these big agenda items.” Speaker Johnson also floated the idea of incorporating the REPO Act, which uses seized frozen Russian assets to aid Kyiv.
Speaker Johnson said:
When you talk about aid to Ukraine, he’s introduced the loan lease concept, which is a really important one, I think, has a lot of consensus.
As debates heat up over foreign aid this week, particularly regarding Ukraine along with potential challenges to Speaker Johnson's leadership, brace for impassioned discussions in the days ahead.
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