When Republican Rep. Liz Cheney complained months ago about the GOP having a “Putin wing,” the congresswoman didn’t name names, though it seems likely she was referring to members such as Marjorie Taylor Greene. After all, not only has the right-wing Georgian repeatedly opposed aid to Ukraine, she’s also echoed Moscow’s rhetoric.
As The Washington Post reported overnight, Greene took additional steps down this road at a rally yesterday, announcing an ambitious plan for next year.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) vowed Thursday that “not another penny” of U.S. funding would be spent to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia if Republicans take control of Congress after the midterm elections. Greene spoke at a Save America rally in Sioux City, Iowa, staged by former president Donald Trump to boost Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), among others, on the ballot.
The radical congresswoman was quite specific about what the public should expect from a GOP-led Congress, telling attendees: “Under Republicans, not another penny will go to Ukraine.”
The comments drew applause from the audience, which was in line with recent polling showing Republican voters turning in large numbers against U.S. support for our Ukrainian allies.
This did not go unnoticed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, where White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, highlighting the extremist lawmaker’s public comments, wrote on Twitter this morning, “Every Republican should be asked: Do they stand with freedom from Russian aggression, or do they stand with [Greene]?”
What matters in a situation like this isn’t the Georgian’s true beliefs. There’s greater interest in why Greene is making such arguments, but that’s not really the key element, either.
Rather, what matters is whether Greene and her allies will ultimately get their way and successfully reject support for Ukraine in the midst of the war caused by the unprovoked Russian invasion.
As we’ve discussed, Politico reported in September that a growing number of GOP lawmakers are also prepared to curtail financial and military support for Ukraine, and Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida suggested that a GOP majority in the House, which now appears quite likely, would halt aid to Ukraine altogether.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy predicted that a Republican majority would likely “hold up any additional aid” after the midterm elections, and as regular readers might recall, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy soon after declared that Ukraine shouldn’t expect “a blank check” from the United States anymore.
Don’t be surprised if, after the dust settles on the midterm elections, there’s a scramble to approve a massive aid package during Congress’ lame-duck session.
