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On Easter Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged to be an “ambassador of hope” by voting down military aid for Ukraine, despite opposition led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to approve the government funding package before the holiday recess. .
During an Easter Sunday interview with Fox News, Johnson confirmed his intention to urge Congress to provide further aid in Kiev's war against Russia.
New York Post reports,
“If we can use the seized assets of Russian oligarchs to allow Ukrainians to fight them, that's just pure poetry,” the House speaker said on “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.” “
“Even President Trump has talked about the loan concept,” said Johnson, 52. “We're not just giving foreign aid – we're setting it up in a relationship where when the time is right they Can give it back to us.”
“And then, you know, we want to highlight American energy,” he also said. “We want to export natural gas that will help finance (Russian President) Vladimir Putin's war efforts there.”
Johnson has consistently voiced opposition to Russia's actions and has supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, although he voted against $60 billion in funding for Ukraine without limits.
On the one-year anniversary of Russia's wrongful detention of Ivan Gershkovich, we continue to condemn his baseless arrest and reiterate our call for his release. pic.twitter.com/lEilDWgTvn
– Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) 29 March 2024
In November, he pitched to The Post the idea of freezing $300 billion of Russian assets, first authored by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in a bill known as the REPO for Ukrainians Act. Is known.
In mid-February the Senate passed a $95 billion funding bill with provisions for aid for Israel and Taiwan, as well as $60 billion for Ukraine, which former President Donald Trump had criticized as not being provided as loans. Was attacked.
“We should never give money without expectation of payment, or without 'strings'; Joined together. The United States must no longer be ‘stupid’!” He posted on Truth Social.
It's unclear whether all House Republicans will support other ways to finance that much larger foreign military aid, but most of it would go to Ukraine. Johnson will likely need some Democrats to help pass it.
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