House panel to hold hearings on aid to Ukraine amid GOP schism

The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has announced that it will hold a hearing on the aid provided to Ukraine next Wednesday, given the ongoing dispute within the GOP.

Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) has urged the Biden administration to provide “the right weapons” to the country, which is devastated by war and attempting to withstand Russian aggression. However, other prominent Republicans are criticizing the increasing cost of the already distributed aid.

“I think there’s enough support on both sides of the aisle. Majority in the Democratic Party, majority in the Republican,” said McCaul in an interview with CNN back in January. “We have to educate our members. I don’t think they quite understand what’s at stake.”

Diana Shaw, Deputy Inspector General at the State Department; Nicole Angarella, Acting Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Agency for International Development; and Robert Storch, Inspector General at the Department of Defense, are all expected to testify at the hearing. Additional witnesses may be called upon as the hearing date approaches. The hearing will be titled “Oversight, Transparency, and Accountability of Ukraine Assistance.”

Congress authorized more than $113 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine last year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget; however, not all of the aid has been delivered. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has previously stated that Ukraine should not receive “a blank check,” and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) raised concerns regarding both the price tag and the possibility of prolonging the conflict, proposing legislation for an audit of the aid.

The views on Ukraine aid from potential presidential candidates are also divided, with former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) both contending that supporting Ukraine is not a “vital” US foreign policy interest; however, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence are supportive of Ukraine.