U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence and optimism in Congress' ability to secure additional funding for both Israel and Ukraine, he said in Florida on Nov. 27.
The Speaker has consistently maintained the stance that funding for Israel and Ukraine should be kept separate. He has urged the U.S. Senate to consider a bill passed by the House, which linked aid to Israel with cuts in funding to the Internal Revenue Service.
Johnson emphasized that support for Ukraine should be contingent upon implementing changes to U.S. border policies.
“Ukraine is another priority. Of course, we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to march through Europe," Johnson said.
"If there is to be additional assistance to Ukraine — which most members of Congress believe is important — we have to also work on changing our own border policy,” Johnson said.
“There’s been a lot of thoughtful negotiation ongoing with that. I think most of our Senate colleagues recognize that those two things need to move together because we owe that to the American people.”
To date, the U.S. has provided approximately $44.2 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its full-scale invasion against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and more than $47 billion in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
Francis Farrell
