What will aid to Ukraine be like after the Speaker of the US House of Representatives is ousted?
(Dan Tri) – Observers commented on the future of aid that Washington provided to Ukraine to deal with Russia after US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was deposed.
Ukrainian soldiers carry US-made grenade launchers during exercises in Kiev (Illustration: AFP).
On October 3, the US House of Representatives dismissed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy after 8 Republican lawmakers and 208 Democratic lawmakers agreed to the proposal of a small group of far-right lawmakers, led by lawmakers.
According to Reuters, the ouster has increased uncertainty about Washington’s future aid prospects for Ukraine, after the budget for Kiev was removed from the temporary spending bill that prevented the US government from closing the deal.
Late last week, US President Joe Biden announced that Washington’s support for Ukraine could not be interrupted `under any circumstances`.
However, things are now becoming very complicated in the context of unclear who will succeed Mr. McCarthy and when the budget deadlock, including aid to Ukraine, can be resolved.
Increasing support for Kiev is becoming more and more urgent, as Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, warned on October 4 that weapons aid to Ukraine is at risk of running out in the near future.
Now, all eyes will be on who will succeed Mr. McCarthy and what his views are on aid to Ukraine.
In fact, within the Republican Party there is division over how to support Ukraine.
The US political group called `Together to protect democracy` has published an assessment table with scales A, B, C, D, E, F to evaluate the level of support for aid to Ukraine of the US.
If Mr. McCarthy is rated B-, then Congressman Steve Scalise, the majority leader in the House, will receive a B. Mr. Scalise is considered a potential figure who could replace Mr. McCarthy.
However, Mr. Matt Gaetz, who led the motion to dismiss Mr. McCarthy, received an F. Mr. Gaetz also announced that he would support Mr. Scalise.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and hard-line Congressman Byron Donalds both received an F grade.
Congressman Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the US House of Representatives, scored an A. Mr. Emmer is also considered a potential candidate for the position of Speaker of the House.
This assessment shows clear discrepancies within the Republican Party regarding aid to Ukraine, in the context of many experts and US officials warning about psychological fatigue due to the war lasting more than 19 years.
The US has pledged to transfer $113 billion in security, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its military campaign in the neighboring country in February 2022.