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As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to D.C. has struck a sour note with many American taxpayers, House and Senate Republicans are pledging to tell the war-torn country “NO” to sending billions of more dollars in aid overseas.
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio., announced a coalition of united Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday who were committed to stopping the unending supply of American money to Ukraine, which has been in war with Russian forces since 2022.
On X, Sen. Vance explained, “Yesterday at a classified briefing over Ukraine, it became clear that America is being asked to fund an indefinite conflict with unlimited resources. Enough is enough. To these and future requests, my colleagues and I say: NO.”
He attached a copy of a letter sent to Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, noting that the House and Senate were “in receipt of your August 10, 2023 request for additional supplemental appropriations, in which you ask Congress to provide another $24 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance related to the war in Ukraine.”
The letter noted that the U.S. had appropriated $114 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine and other impacted countries but added that “this amount does not reflect the full picture, which includes transferred and reprogrammed funds.”
“The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to,” the letter continued. “How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy and what is the president’s exit plan?”
The letter was signed by 28 Republicans between the House and Senate, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
As reported by Axios, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., stated that he had denied Zelensky’s request to address a joint session of Congress in his bid to request more money from Americans toward his war efforts.
Per the outlet, McCarthy explained to the press, “Zelensky asked for a joint session, we just didn’t have time. He’s already given a joint session.”