WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The White House is sounding the alarm on the need for more funding to boost Ukraine in its war with Russia after it was left out of the most recent short-term spending bill.
This comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently called for a stronger response to Russia to stop other invasions abroad.
“If Putin is allowed to get away with this, if he’s allowed to act with impunity in Ukraine, then the message to would-be aggressors anywhere and everywhere, is we can get away with it too,” Blinken said.
And National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, shared the same views Wednesday morning during “Morning in America.”
“Supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do, not just for Ukraine, but for the American people or for our national security interests,” Kirby said.
The House passed a vote to vacate Rep. Kevin McCarthy from his position as the House speaker on Tuesday, which ultimately puts Congress on hold. This means nothing can be approved, voted on or passed without a new House speaker.
Kirby said it’s difficult to fully know what sort of funding would be available for Ukraine now that a small group of very vocal Republicans have a strong opinion against sending money to the war-torn country.
“Those who want to take that support away should be asking themselves why would they will to do Putin’s bidding because Putin would love nothing more than for the United States to be fractured,” Kirby said.
The national security expert said it’s critical, not just for Ukraine, but also for the best interest of the U.S. to continue sending federal aid and funds to Ukraine in order for them to fight against the Kremlin.
But it’s not just lawmakers who are fed up with sending billions of dollars to another country. Some Americans are also upset that the government has given Ukraine $113 billion in aid while they are fighting battles of their own like inflation and the migrant crisis in the states.
Kirby said he would ask Americans to understand how much more expensive it would be if Putin took over Ukraine, and acted as if it just didn’t ever exist.
“What message does this send to him and the other dictators out there that would want to grab territory by force?” Kirby said.
While supporting Ukraine financially is expensive now, it would be more expensive if Russia’s actions escalated into a war or if the war expanded into the U.S., Kirby said.
“The last thing I’d say on this is that, of all the founding ideals in this country, the one that resonates the most with all Americans is the idea of independence,” Kirby said.
It doesn’t matter how one votes, everybody understands the importance of independence, he said.
“That’s all Ukraine is doing,” he said. “They’re fighting for their independence.”