Speaker Kevin McCarthy is reversing course on his plan to exclude Ukraine aid from a substantial military spending bill, as Republicans grapple with finding a path forward for government funding.
This about-face from the California Republican comes one day after he indicated to reporters that he would extract the approximately $300 million earmarked for Ukraine from the Pentagon bill and arrange a separate vote. McCarthy faced resistance from within the GOP regarding its inclusion.
However, in the Capitol on Saturday, McCarthy announced that the bill would proceed with the Ukraine aid intact, asserting that removing it would be too complicated due to the Republicans’ funding strategy, which involves presenting the Defense bill alongside other measures. This decision introduces fresh uncertainty regarding whether the Pentagon spending bill will even be considered for debate after two recent failures.
“It became too difficult to do that, so we’re leaving it in,” McCarthy explained to reporters in reference to the Ukraine funds.
Republicans are gearing up for a Tuesday vote to initiate the debate on four government funding bills: Defense, State, Homeland Security, and an agriculture bill. This marks the latest effort by McCarthy to advance his party’s funding bills. However, it remains far