GOP finds Biden’s billion-dollar request hard to accept for three reasons.
President Biden’s $40 Billion Supplemental Funding Request Faces Challenges in Republican-Led House
President Joe Biden’s $40 billion supplemental funding request to Congress will likely face an uphill climb in the Republican-led House over several of its components, including:
- $24 billion in aid to Ukraine
- $12 billion to replenish disaster relief funding
- $4 billion to address the southern border
- $60 million to increase wildland firefighter pay
Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young pressed Capitol Hill leaders to “take swift action to provide the additional funding” in a letter addressed to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Thursday.
Inflation Ticked Up to 3.2% in July in Setback for Biden and Fed
But it’s likely that several House Republicans won’t support more aid to Ukraine, and at least one Senate Republican has come out with concerns over the Biden administration’s request “lumping” disaster relief funding with Ukraine. While the measure will likely gain some bipartisan support, there are at least three problems that Republicans have with the funding request, which could lead to a spending showdown in the fall.
House GOP Weary of More Ukraine Aid
High-profile Republicans, including McCarthy, have said they won’t support any more aid for Ukraine in the next fiscal year. And other hard-line conservatives, such as Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), already opposed the request, a sign of the growing Republican displeasure with continuing to spend funding on the Ukraine-Russia war.
“No. This should be a non-starter for the @HouseGOP. It’s time to stand up for Americans and against the uniparty,” Roy said on the supplemental funding.
Republicans point to the $113 billion spent in support of Ukraine since Russia launched an invasion in February 2022, with little sign of a breakthrough over the summer.
As a faction, influential conservative members of the House have pressured McCarthy and GOP leaders to prepare bills with less spending than was agreed to. These efforts mean McCarthy will likely need Democratic votes to pass the supplemental funding before previous spending on Ukraine runs out at the end of September.
Marco Rubio’s Qualms Over Disaster Relief
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has taken issue with the Biden administration combining the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s domestic disaster relief funding with Ukraine aid.
“President Biden is holding Floridians, and other Americans, hostage by tying critical domestic disaster relief to foreign military aid,” he said in a statement. ”This is the type of cynical political manipulation I warned about earlier this year and it further undermines trust in the Biden Administration.”
Rubio pushed the Biden administration not to give a ”blank check to continue the status quo” as the Ukraine-Russia war drags on.
Yet other Republican senators appear willing to consider the supplemental request. “I look forward to carefully reviewing the Administration’s request to make sure it is necessary and appropriate to keep America safe, secure our borders, support our allies, and help communities rebuild after disasters,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in a statement.
Biden Left House GOP Leaders in the Dark
Another contention that could prevent Congress from passing the funding request is the Biden administration didn’t consult with McCarthy or other House GOP leaders while assembling the package.
“And while there’s enough bipartisan support in the House to push through the new Ukraine money, the issue will be what McCarthy and other top Republicans seek in return,” PunchBowl News reported on Friday.
There is some concern among House Republicans about what will happen in the Senate over the supplemental. The debt ceiling deal reached between Congress and the White House capped defense spending in fiscal 2024 at $886 billion, a roughly 3% increase from current levels, and capped fiscal 2025 defense spending at $895 billion, a 1% increase.
But lawmakers such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to bring a supplemental defense bill to the Senate floor to get around the defense caps, which McCarthy said he doesn’t support. House GOP leaders fear that if defense spending is added to the package, Senate Democrats could push for more domestic spending, according to PunchBowl News.
Funding for the government runs out on Sept. 30, and with both chambers of Congress on August recess, there’s not much time to pass a federal budget or a continuing resolution to fund the government and pass the supplemental when lawmakers return.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...