House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday opposed a push by fellow Republican hawks to expedite more funding for Ukraine and vowed to block any bill that undercuts new caps on US spending.
(Bloomberg) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday opposed a push by fellow Republican hawks to expedite more funding for Ukraine and vowed to block any bill that undercuts new caps on US spending.
The California Republican said he wasn’t ruling out additional funding for Ukraine but his comments inject skepticism just as fighting there enters a critical new phase.
McCarthy’s stance, which could help him quell discontent on his fiscally conservative right flank, comes just hours after a giant dam blast in Ukraine unleashed environmental catastrophe.
Ukraine has blamed Russia for the blast, which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called the “largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.” The Kremlin has denied responsibility.
The speaker said he supports Ukraine’s war effort. But he said he opposes attempts pushed by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to bypass limits on defense spending imposed by the debt-limit deal Congress passed last week.
“Lindsey wants to spend money on every war in the world,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy warned he wouldn’t allow a House vote on any Senate legislation he considers an end run around the defense spending limits. But he didn’t make clear under what circumstances the House would consider emergency funding for Ukraine.
Any request to provide more funding for Ukraine would be carefully scrutinized, he said.
“You don’t get to just throw money and say somebody needs money,” he said. “What about the money we have already spent? What is the money for and what is victory?”
McCarthy’s comments come amid a rift with the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, whose members staunchly opposed the speaker’s debt ceiling compromise with President Joe Biden. Some conservatives have called for McCarthy’s ouster.
“I read the comments as a sign that the most extreme elements hold sway,” House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said.
At the White House, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Biden administration doesn’t envision an immediate need for more Ukraine funding.
“Our focus is on executing the funding we’ve got this fiscal year and making sure Ukraine can succeed on the battlefield,” Kirby said. “We’re just not at a decision point to talk about the need for additional funding.”
As of May 31, the Pentagon says it gave Ukraine more than $37.6 billion in security assistance since Russia’s invasion.
–With assistance from Jennifer Jacobs and Roxana Tiron.
(Update with a new second paragraph, Kirby in the last two paragraphs)
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.