Trump Questions Ukraine Aid as House Mulls $61 Billion Aid Package

(Left) House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 15, 2024. (Right) Former President Donald Trump speaks during a Fox News town hall in Greenville, S.C., on Feb. 20, 2024. Kevin Dietsch, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump on April 18 questioned Ukraine aid as the House mulls a $61 billion package that would fund the Eastern European nation’s war effort.

In a post to Truth Social, President Trump said that Europe hasn’t done its part to finance Ukraine’s war effort, and indicated that that’s an obligation that shouldn’t fall solely on the shoulders of the United States.

“Why isn’t Europe giving more money to help Ukraine?” President Trump wrote.

“Why is it that the United States is over $100 Billion into the Ukraine War more than Europe, and we have an Ocean between us as separation?

“Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a Country in desperate need?

“As everyone agrees, Ukrainian Survival and Strength should be much more important to Europe than to us, but it is also important to us! GET MOVING EUROPE!” President Trump added.

President Trump’s comments come after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on April 17 unveiled a $95 billion foreign aid package roughly correlating with a previous $95 billion package passed by the Senate.

The most controversial part of that package is its Ukraine funding, an issue that has reignited lingering ideological divisions in the House GOP.

Another $26 billion in funding would go to Israel, including roughly $10 billion for humanitarian assistance to “vulnerable populations and communities” in Gaza.

Finally, $8 billion is slated for Taiwan and other U.S. Indo-Pacific partners.

President Trump’s criticism of additional U.S. funding for Ukraine comes just days after he and Mr. Johnson held an April 12 press conference during which they presented themselves as largely united on the issues facing Congress.

“I stand with the speaker,” the former president said.

That press conference was held amid a new threat from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) of a motion to vacate Mr. Johnson after he worked with Democrats to pass a $1.2 trillion funding package.

At the time, President Trump seemed anxious to talk Ms. Greene down from her threat.

“It’s not an easy situation for any speaker,” President Trump said when asked about the motion to vacate.

“I think he’s doing a very good job. He’s doing about as good as you’re going to do.

“I’m sure that Marjorie understands that he is a very good friend of mine, and I know she has a lot of respect for the speaker.”

That tone shifted on April 17, a day after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) also signed onto Ms. Greene’s effort in response to Mr. Johnson’s foreign aid plan.

Asked again about the motion to vacate, President Trump merely said: “We'll see what happens.”

Shortly after President Trump questioned the United States’ role in funding the European conflict, the right-wing House Freedom Caucus also came out in opposition to Ukraine funding, advising its members to oppose the procedural rule vote to advance the legislation.

Despite the mounting pressure, Mr. Johnson has maintained that funding Ukraine is the right thing to do, and says he doesn’t fear a motion to vacate.

“My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may,” Mr. Johnson said on April 17.

“If I operated out of fear of a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job.”

He also made a case for Ukraine aid, arguing, “This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage.

“I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing.”

He suggested that, if he’s not stopped in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue deeper into Europe.

“I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed,” Mr. Johnson said.

“I think he might go to the Balkans next. I think he might have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies.

“To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys.”

It’s a case that’s hardly likely to assuage conservative House Republicans, who are increasingly eying a motion to vacate after Mr. Johnson also worked with Democrats to pass a reauthorization of the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) without a warrant requirement.