Crowe said he and others explained to Zelensky: “We have to hit the ground running, and that's the challenge.”
Supporters of Ukraine on both sides are divided The House is exploring how they can force a vote to release billions of dollars in aid to Kiev, perhaps by bypassing Republican leaders who have refused to act on a measure that would fund several national security necessities.
The Senate's passage this week of a $95 billion package, which includes money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other US allies, presented a massive dilemma for House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose fragile hold on office is under threat from a rebellious subgroup of lawmakers. The Republican caucus strongly opposes any additional spending on the war. Johnson (R-LA) has rejected the Senate bill outright, but so far has offered little clarity on the path forward.
The situation is complicated by a host of factors, not the least of which, for Johnson and his fellow Republicans, is the dominant influence of former President Donald Trump. He opposed funding for Ukraine and the bipartisan compromise on immigration policy that Republicans initially proposed as a quid pro quo.
Supporters of the Senate bill in the House also face a growing challenge from left-wing Democrats who say they cannot support continued aid to Israel after months of civilian bloodshed in Gaza.
The standoff has angered lawmakers from both parties who say Ukraine, which faces dwindling arms stockpiles, is running out of time, and prompted some in the House of Representatives to search for a new solution that would capitalize on what they say is majority support for Zelensky. Government.
During a meeting at the Republican Convention this week, Rep. French Hill (R-Arkansas), who was part of the delegation that visited Kiev, appealed to the Hon. He called on his colleagues to stop making financing for Ukraine so “complicated.” They repeated the long-standing argument that U.S. aid is needed to prevent Russia from expanding its war beyond Ukraine's borders, people who attended the closed session said. The assembly said.
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of three House national security committees, asked during the meeting whether Republican leadership would consider eliminating billions of dollars in humanitarian aid from the Senate bill and attaching a Republican border reform measure. Policy, to make the bill more acceptable. Attendees said Johnson appeared to be taking notes.
Meanwhile, Democrats are evaluating whether they can force a vote on the Senate bill through a procedure known as a recall petition, which requires 218 signatures. Senior Democratic aides said doing so would require the signatures of just four Republicans once newly elected Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) is sworn in later this month, but there are concerns that more liberal members who oppose Israel funding may withdraw their signatures.
“The question is, if I lose them, how many rupees should I collect?” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said, meaning Republicans. “What do I have to sacrifice to get that?”
Moderate Republicans have indicated that they are unwilling, at least for now, to ally with Democrats and force a vote. “Let’s get a little more momentum going before we talk about hypotheticals,” said Rep. Zachary Nunn (R-Iowa), who is also a Republican. He was among the lawmakers who met with Zelensky.
But while some in the GOP have privately mocked Johnson as “indecisive” or too green to lead effectively, others say he simply tends to get feedback from across his conference before deciding how to move forward on tough issues. . His allies seem willing to give him time to maneuver.
“It's not mine,” said Rep. Rob Whitman (R-Va.), who said a year ago that he remained “steadfast in supporting Ukraine’s fierce fight to maintain its independence,” while Calls for greater accountability for aid funds. Requested “I support the speaker,” Whitman said Wednesday of whether he still thinks supporting Ukraine is important.
Rep. Michael R. Turner (R-Ohio), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, also defended Johnson, saying the speaker “has made it very clear that he supports funding Ukraine and funding Israel and then the Asia-Pacific part of national security.” Fired.” Republicans “We'll get it done,” Turner he said, adding that he didn't want to speculate on how.
Johnson said this week that House Republicans will “address the issues” in the Senate's national security bill and that the process will begin “in earnest now.” He also sought a meeting with President Biden to negotiate a border security policy that could be tied to foreign aid — a proposal that angered Democrats and the administration after bipartisan Senate negotiations resulted in a conservative border deal that Republicans then scrapped.
Republicans have shaped immigration policy Comprehensive reform as a prerequisite for their support for the larger national security package and aid to Ukraine specifically. after Trump expressed his opinion With opposition to the plan approved by both parties, a wave of Republican lawmakers turned against it. GOP leaders quickly concluded that the deal was not enough to rein in illegal immigration, and neither did the Senate at the time. Passed the national security bill without border policy provisions.
Hard-line conservatives in the House have made it extremely difficult for Johnson to propose a path forward without facing a domestic backlash. He was plucked from relative obscurity to the unruly caucus crowd after his predecessor as chairman, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), was impeached for working with Democrats to pass other spending measures. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), an alternative to Trump, said she would try to remove Johnson as speaker if he sought a vote on funding for Ukraine.
“He has options, but they won't happen this week,” said a Republican lawmaker familiar with Johnson's thinking. Who, like some others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations. “He will deal with it in his own time” but he will not be “the guy to put the Senate bill to a vote.”
The process faces another challenge in the looming possibility of a government shutdown, which could occur on March 1 unless Congress approves a much larger spending package to fund the federal government. The House of Representatives, which was adjourned on Thursday until the end of February, will have only two days to avoid closure when it returns.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters this week that an “overwhelming majority” of Democrats are ready to support the national security bill in the Senate. “We are not the problem,” he said, criticizing the Trump loyalists who surrounded the loudspeaker.
But progressive Democrats say they're not actually ready to do that.
New Representative Delia C. said: Ramirez (D-Ill.): “It is unconscionable to me that we give the Israeli government… more money,” citing the staggering toll of nearly 30,000 dead in Gaza, another 2 million displaced, and “children who eat grass to survive.” Alive”.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said that “some people” would not vote for a bill “without any conditions or any accountability” to pressure Israel to exercise restraint and adhere to international resolutions. Law.
The Senate bill includes money for humanitarian aid to help them Ramirez added that what happened in Gaza was unconvincing and ridiculous, a sentiment echoed by other progressives. “So while the Netanyahu government is bombing the kids, maybe they will get something to eat for the first time that week?” Ramirez asked rhetorically, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Johnson has hinted at the possibility of breaking up the Senate package to vote piecemeal on foreign aid provisions. Many Republicans have indicated that they would prefer to vote on each issue individually rather than as a package, a path that may be more palatable to some Democrats as well.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said a handful of lawmakers will soon propose a “bilateral solution.” It is unclear how their plan might take shape or when they might reveal it.
“The whole situation is difficult,” Jayapal said. “There's no doubt about that.”
Lee Ann Caldwell contributed to this report.
