Schumer: ‘Cannot think of worse welcome’ for Zelensky than House stopgap proposal

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) blasted the House GOP stopgap funding proposal on the Senate floor Monday, criticizing it for not including funding for Ukraine and other Democratic requests.

“And with no Ukraine funding, the proposal is an insult to Ukraine and a gift to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. I cannot think of a worse welcome for [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky who visits us this week than this House proposal, which ignores Ukraine entirely,” Schumer said.

Zelensky is slated to meet with President Biden this week and hold discussions with lawmakers, as well as visit the United Nations General Assembly in New York. While support for Ukraine is widespread, a handful of House Republicans have been outspoken in their opposition to more U.S. funding for the war-torn nation.

Schumer described the House GOP proposal as a “hard-right screed,” accusing Republicans of not working on a bipartisan solution to keep the government open. The White House asked Congress to attach supplemental funding for Ukraine, disaster relief and border security to a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government.

Without those requests, the CR is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate. A group of Republicans announced an internal deal for the stopgap bill Sunday night. If approved, it would extend the funding deadline by a month, cut all spending except for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, and enact a large part of the House GOP’s marquee border bill, H.R. 2.

It has already been met with opposition from enough Republicans to put it in jeopardy even in the lower chamber.

A CR or other funding bill must be passed by Sept. 30 to keep the government from shutting down.

Schumer also targeted Republicans for proposing cuts to nondefense spending in his remarks Monday.

“Instead of working with Democrats to keep government open, House Republicans want to cut virtually all nondefense spending by a devastating 8 percent, 8 percent,” he said Monday. “Eight percent cuts to law enforcement, cancer research and other critical priorities. Not one penny is dedicated to the president’s disaster relief request despite the anguish in so many states. No health extenders are included, no attempt to reauthorize the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration].”