U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks with reporters as he departs after a series of failed votes on spending packages at the U.S. Capitol in Washington ahead of a looming government shutdown, Sept. 29, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
WASHINGTON — The halls of Congress and the rest of Washington were abuzz on Monday with speculation about a secret deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The deal supposedly involved protecting future aid for Ukraine as part of an agreement to avoid a government shutdown over the weekend.
The suspicion is that Biden agreed to sign a stop-gap federal government funding deal without including the desired Ukraine aid, in exchange for McCarthy agreeing to hold a standalone vote on that aid at a later date.
“What was the secret side deal on Ukraine?” demanded Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., during an impassioned speech on the House floor, directly targeting McCarthy.
The answer to this question could determine whether Gaetz follows through on his long-standing threat to force a vote on McCarthy’s speakership, potentially happening later this week. It could also influence the outcome of that vote.
McCarthy, however, denied the existence of any secret plan for Ukraine funding, but did acknowledge that “in a continuing resolution, sometimes you make sure you can move money around freely during the 45 days.”
On Saturday, Democrats surprised many in official Washington by backing a 45-day stopgap government spending bill that did not include emergency funding for Ukraine. This decision came despite the White House’s request for an additional $24 billion in aid.
The bill was passed just hours before the deadline that would have triggered a shutdown of numerous government agencies and services if the continuing resolution failed to be approved by Congress and signed by President Biden.
President Biden, on Sunday, expressed his expectation that McCarthy would “keep his commitment to secure passage and support needed” for funding Ukraine’s defense.
When pressed by reporters at the White House on Monday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to provide further details about the president’s statement regarding McCarthy’s commitment on Ukraine. She emphasized the bipartisan support for aid to Ukraine and McCarthy’s expressed support for such aid.
Jean-Pierre stated, “We want to see that McCarthy keeps his commitment to the people of Ukraine, as he has indicated he wants to continue that funding to ensure Ukraine receives the necessary weapons. That is our expectation.”
A standalone vote on emergency Ukraine funding would likely pass the House, but it would require Democratic votes to do so. The House Republicans are currently divided on whether the United States should continue funding Ukraine’s defense against Russia.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the U.S. has provided over $43 billion in security assistance to Ukraine.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller emphasized the importance of uninterrupted American support for Ukraine. He stated, “We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted. Our allies, our adversaries, and the world will be watching.”
Miller added, “While we have the ability to continue to support Ukraine’s ability to defend itself for the immediate term, much of the existing security assistance funding has already been exhausted. It is imperative for Congress to take action.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, expressed confidence that the support from the United States for Ukraine remains strong. He stated in Kyiv on Monday, “We don’t feel that the U.S. support has been shattered, because the United States understands what is at stake in Ukraine.”
Kuleba also remarked on the situation, saying, “The question is whether what happened is an incident or a system,” referring to the absence of the desired aid in the funding resolution passed by Congress on Saturday. He concluded, “I think it was an incident.”
— Additional reporting by
Amanda Macias and
Emma Kinery
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