President Biden on Thursday said he’s concerned about the fate of aid for Ukraine if Republicans win control of Congress after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) signaled the party would not provide a “blank check” for Ukrainians.
“I am worried about it because they said they would cut it,” Biden told reporters during a stop in Pittsburgh.
McCarthy told Punchbowl News earlier this week that House Republicans will not write “a blank check” to Ukraine if they take control of the lower chamber next year.
“I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just won’t do it,” McCarthy, who is likely to become Speaker if Republicans win the House, said Tuesday.
While Ukraine aid has received bipartisan support in Congress so far, a minority of House Republicans taking a non-interventionist “America First” stance have opposed aid to Ukraine, a fight that would be amplified if the GOP retakes the majority after the midterms.
In May, 11 Republican senators and 57 House Republicans voted against a $40 billion security supplemental for Ukraine.
Many Republicans in the House support military aid for Ukraine but are skeptical about nonmilitary humanitarian aid.
The Biden administration has provided billions of dollars in support to Ukraine since Russia first invaded in February in the form of military equipment, humanitarian aid and funding to help keep the Ukrainian government afloat.