Most Republicans reject Greene’s anti-Ukraine aid proposal

Most Republicans joined Democrats on Thursday to vote against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) amendment to the annual defense bill that called for preventing any funds from the legislation from going toward relief to Ukraine.

The chamber voted 74-343 on Greene’s decision measurefor the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), with all support coming from Republicans. The majority of Republicans – 138 of them – voted “no.”

The amendment specifically says that “None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for assistance to Ukraine.” House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), however, disagreed with the measure, noting that the NDAA does not earmark any funds for Ukraine.

He noted that the amendment would cut funding to maintain a Marine presence at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev and that it would prevent the Department of Defense (DOD) from monitoring U.S. weapons systems already in Ukraine, urging members to vote against it. .

“My colleague from Georgia will be pleased to know that there is nothing in this year’s NDAA that authorizes assistance to Ukraine. This money is provided through supplemental appropriations bills,” Rogers said during Thursday’s House floor debate.

“The problem with this change is that it would cut funding to maintain the deployment of Marines to protect our embassy in Kiev, and it would also cut DOD’s ability to conduct and use monitoring of weapons systems that the US has already provided to Ukraine. ,” he added. “We don’t want them to fall into bad hands, we need to make sure these weapons stay in our hands. I urge members to oppose this amendment.”

Greene went on to point out that the NDAA includes nearly $300 million for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which she says funds Ukraine.

The weak support for Greene’s amendment, however, came nearly two months after the House passed a bill to send about $61 billion to Ukraine, capping a months-long bitter debate at the GOP conference. and in the Republican Party in general – about the situation in the USA. role in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The issue pitted isolationist Republicans, many of whom supported former President Trump, against Reagan-minded traditionalists who favor foreign interventions.

A total of 112 Republicans voted against aid to Kiev, surpassing the 101 Republican lawmakers who supported the funding.

Greene and other members of the right flank have spoken out against sending additional aid to Ukraine, arguing that the US should focus more on domestic priorities, including the situation on the southern border.

The Georgia Republican reignited that argument during debate on the House floor Thursday.

“Financing a war in Ukraine does not guarantee the security of our nation; in fact, it puts us at risk of possible additional military involvement with another nuclear-armed nation, and that nation is Russia,” Greene said. “Americans do not support this and neither do the majority of the majority here in Congress, who voted against financing the war in Ukraine.”

The congresswoman commented on the amount of assistance the US has already sent to Ukraine, adding that “that’s a lot of hard-earned American tax dollars to support another country’s border security while our border is invaded every day.”

“Not only is our border invaded every day by millions and millions of people from over 160 countries, but it is also a war declared in our own country with human and drug trafficking that is killing Americans every day, while 300 Americans on average die from fentanyl overdoses,” she added. I believe that should be our focus as the United States Congress.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story