Biden's "Major Speech on Ukraine Support"... Will He Bypass Congress?

U.S. President Joe Biden has indicated that he will provide support to Ukraine by bypassing congressional approval due to concerns over Republican opposition.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 4th (local time), during an event at the White House announcing a student loan debt relief plan, when asked if he was worried that congressional turmoil might prevent him from delivering the promised support to Ukraine, President Biden responded, "I am concerned," adding, "But I know there are many members in both the House and Senate who have pledged support for Ukraine."

President Biden went on to say, "I will soon make a major speech on this issue (support for Ukraine)," suggesting that he intends to explain why support for Ukraine is important to the U.S. and its allies, and why the U.S. must keep its commitment to aid.

When asked how he would provide support if the funding for Ukraine is not included in the budget, he reiterated, "We will support Ukraine," and added, "There are other means to finance our next tranche of support."

This is interpreted as meaning that if the Ukraine support budget is not approved, he plans to provide aid based on his own decisions, such as executive orders.

President Biden has been requesting Congress to approve additional aid packages for Ukraine, but as the prolonged war has caused fatigue, opposition from hardline Republicans and some members of the public has grown stronger than before.

Meanwhile, the 45-day temporary budget that narrowly passed Congress on the 30th of last month did not include funding for Ukraine amid disagreements among Republican members, who are the majority in the House of Representatives.

Moreover, dissatisfaction with the handling of the temporary budget led to the ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, driven by hardline Republicans in the House, deepening internal GOP divisions and making the prospects for congressional approval of support for Ukraine even more uncertain.

However, there are also views that if Biden pushes support without congressional approval and the stalemate worsens, he could be held accountable for the situation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.