After months of delay, the US House of Representatives, led by opposition Republicans, will vote this week on separate bills supporting Ukraine and Israel, according to Chairman Mike Johnson. “This week we will be examining separate draft laws (…),” Johnson said on Monday (local time) on the online service “.
There are also draft laws intended to strengthen US allies in the Indo-Pacific and to adopt “additional measures” “to counter our adversaries” and “strengthen our national security”.
Johnsen, an ally of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, blocked an earlier $95 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that has already passed the Senate. Johnson said on Monday that this will not be voted on in its current form. “But we will vote on each of these measures separately in four different parts.”
The leader of the House of Representatives is facing a rebellion from the far right wing of the Republican party. He must strike a balance between his party's moderate Republicans and hardliners on a range of legislative proposals, particularly on Ukraine aid. So far, the dispute has primarily led to a paralysis of the political decision-making processes in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden once again called on the US Congress to approve aid for Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia. “Congress must pass continued funding (for Ukraine),” Biden said Monday during a visit to the White House by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. This must happen “now”. “There is overwhelming support in the House and Senate if people would just allow a vote.”
Biden praised Fiala as a “great ally” for his support for Ukraine, which was attacked by Russia in February 2022. As the Czech Republic reminds us, “Russia will not stop in Ukraine and the impact on NATO would be significant,” the US President continued. Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue and “endanger Europe, the United States and the whole world if we don't stop him.”
Fiala thanked Biden for his leading role in Western support for Ukraine. “In 1968, I was a little boy and saw Russian tanks on the streets of my city, and I don't want to see anything like that again,” Fiala said.
The Ukrainian troops have been suffering from a massive shortage of ammunition for months in their defense against the Russian attackers, while the Russian army has been able to record a number of terrain gains in recent weeks.