Milwaukee City Wire

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) joined U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and seven other Senate GOP colleagues in a letter to Senate Leadership, urging them to keep the federal assistance to Israel separate from any funding for Ukraine. The senators expressed their concern over President Biden's plan to pair tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine with any new request for federal assistance to Israel.

The senators emphasized that the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine are two separate and unrelated matters that should not be treated as a "package deal." They argued that providing additional funding to Ukraine could complicate the process and delay aid to Israel, which is facing the aftermath of a brutal invasion by Hamas terrorists.

"In response to these developments, it is critical we give prompt consideration to any request for financial aid or other material support requested by Israel. Based on the breadth of responses from members of Congress, there is a shared urgency to consider such a request," the senators wrote in the letter.

The senators also expressed their concern about attempts to attach funding for Israel to more aid for Ukraine, stating that it would be wrong to leverage support for Israel in order to secure additional aid for Ukraine. They highlighted that Congress has already provided $113 billion to Ukraine and bundling these priorities together could risk a government shutdown and complicate the funding process.

"We urge you to keep separate attempts to provide military aid to Israel from additional funds to Ukraine or other matters," the letter concluded.

Sen. Johnson and Sen. Marshall were joined by Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) in signing the letter.

The New York Post has reported on the senators' letter, and the full text of the letter can be found here.

Click this link to access more information: https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/2023/10/sen-johnson-joins-gop-colleagues-in-demanding-aid-package-to-israel-be-kept-separate-from-ukraine-funding