Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin warned Congress Tuesday that the United States may have to put troops on the ground in Europe to defend NATO allies if lawmakers don’t pass more aid for Ukraine.
“And then the idea that we'll have to put troops on the ground in Secretary Austin’s word was very likely,” Mr. McCaul stated, adding that he wants Congress to pass a Ukraine funding package. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
The Defense Department has not yet publicly commented on Mr. McCaul’s claims or predictions that U.S. forces would be deployed to Europe in any capacity. The Epoch Times has contacted a Pentagon spokesperson for comment.
However, some Republican lawmakers, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have indicated that the Pentagon’s rhetoric did little to win them over. Republicans for months have said they want more transparency on Ukraine funding, while seeking to tie it to issues like increasing security at the U.S.–Mexico border.
“[President] Joe Biden needs to do his job, secure our border,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) told reporters Tuesday. “You do that, then members of Congress will talk.”
“I don’t think we got the clarity that we’ve been requesting,” Mr. Johnson told reporters Tuesday as he left the briefing, adding, “It remains to be seen whether members are satisfied with the answers provided.”
Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) said that after the briefing, “I didn’t get a sense that any minds were changed in there ... It wasn’t impressive or insightful in any way other than what you might see in the news. It was just a hopeful pressure effort.”
Earlier this week, the White House sent a letter to Congress that warned there is little time to pass a new Ukraine funding package.
Senate Blocks Measure
On Wednesday, an emergency spending bill to provide billions of dollars in new security assistance for Ukraine and Israel was blocked in the Senate on Wednesday as Republicans pressed their demands for tougher measures to combat illegal immigration at the southern border.The vote was 49 in favor to 51 against, leaving the $110.5 billion measure short of the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate to pave the way to start debate, threatening President Biden’s push to provide new aid before the end of 2023.
The vote was along party lines, with every Senate Republican voting no along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who generally votes with Democrats but had expressed concerns about funding Israel’s “current inhumane military strategy” against Palestinians.
The bill would provide about $50 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine, as well as money for humanitarian and economic aid for the government in Kyiv, plus $14 billion for Israel as it battles the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also voted no so that he could introduce the measure again in the future.
After the vote, the Democrat leader noted the risks if Ukraine falls, saying it was a “serious moment that will have lasting consequences for the 21st century,” risking the decline of Western liberal democracies.
“Today’s vote is what it takes for the Democratic leader to recognize that Senate Republicans mean what we say,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a floor speech earlier on Wednesday. “Then let’s vote. And then let’s finally start meeting America’s national security priorities, including right here at home.”
In response, President Biden said at the White House Wednesday that he is willing to “make significant compromises on the border” to pass the measure. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken,” he said, adding that he’s “ready to change policy as well.”
The Democrat-backed emergency spending bill also included $20 billion for border security, but Republicans say that rampant illegal immigration via the southern border with Mexico is a hugely important security concern that must be addressed.
