US House Republican leader will not allow ‘blank check’ for Ukraine

By Rabia Iclal Turan​​​​​​​

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US House of Representatives minority Republican leader said Tuesday he is "not for a blank check for anything" concerning American aid to Ukraine.

“This is hard-working taxpayer money. And I want to make sure whatever funding we spend goes to the right places,” Kevin McCarthy told reporters following a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

Biden hosted congressional leaders at the White House, including Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and McCarthy.

Ukraine aid was at stake during the Nov. 8 midterm elections as Biden repeatedly expressed concerns about the future of US aid to Ukraine under a Republican-controlled Congress.

His fears were given credence by former President Donald Trump, who criticized Congress for approving a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine when “America’s parents are struggling to even feed their children.”

Multiple Republican members of Congress also said US aid to Ukraine should be curtailed or halted, including McCarthy, who said in an interview: “I think people are gonna be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine. They just won’t do it.”