Congress adjourns for winter recess without passing Ukraine aid, White House responds
House Speaker Mike Johnson did not support Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer's proposal to extend the work of both houses of Congress for a week to approve additional funding for Ukraine before Christmas, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced at a briefing.
"As you all heard the President say yesterday, the American people will not walk away from Ukraine in its battle for freedom against tyranny. Yet Speaker Johnson has said the House will leave tomorrow without fixing the border, without funding Israel, without funding urgent needs in Ukraine," she said.
Jean-Pierre added that such a step only encourages potential aggressors on a global scale, as the actions of the American Congress are being watched in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.
"House Republicans should not go home for the holidays when there is vital work to do for the security of the United States and the world," she concluded.
Yesterday, The Washington Post spoke with several congressmen who insisted that Congress resume next week. According to them, if these negotiations are delayed, they will only become more difficult after the end of the winter break.
Republican leader Mitch McConnell was convinced that the Congress would not pass aid to Ukraine by Christmas. Even in the case of a compromise between the two parties.
On December 6, 2023, President Biden appealed to Congress to approve additional funding for military assistance to Ukraine. He emphasized that failing to stop Russian President Putin in Ukraine could allow further Russian aggression, potentially requiring direct U.S. military involvement down the line.
The White House announced that previously approved funding for Ukraine aid will be depleted by the end of 2023 without passage of a new congressional package.
Despite these concerns from the Biden administration, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed confidence that Ukraine can overcome any potential pause in U.S. military assistance.