(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Matt Gaetz introduces 'Ukraine Fatigue' resolution to halt US aid to Ukraine, but it should fail [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-09 Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and 10 other MAGA extremists have introduced a resolution calling for the United States to halt additional military and financial aid to Ukraine. The non-binding resolution submitted Thursday also urges all combatants to reach a peace agreement — which makes them all “tankies” because any such agreement would leave Russia in control of occupied territory that it has annexed. Gaetz’s resolution is sure to be welcomed by Vladimir Putin and his propagandists on Russian TV. In fact, Gaetz’s action is more likely to encourage Putin to prolong the war at least through the 2024 presidential election in hopes of a Republican victory, resulting in even more death and destruction. Gaetz’s proposed resolution is being offered at a time when Ukrainian forces are trying to counter a new Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine just ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor. Right now the U.S. and its allies having taken steps to provide more capable weapons to Ukraine, including German Leopard 2 and other main battle tanks, and limiting Russian fossil-fuel revenues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pressing for even more weapons, including fighter jets. But as Simon Johnson, a professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, points out “the most obvious risk” to providing support for Ukraine comes from the U.S. House where some Republicans are in a position to disrupt federal government operations, mainly through the debate on the debt ceiling. Johnson wrote: Some people on Russian propaganda channels already refer to former President Donald Trump as “Our Trump,” presumably because of perceived support received in the past. These same people will be delighted if Trump’s Republican House acolytes manage to subvert the current US effort to support Ukraine. x Russian TV said that recent comments by "their Trump" about how he would end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours are meaningless, even if he ends up "back on the throne." They think that threatening nuclear strikes is their best bet to get the West to back off.https://t.co/kZFnqe4Pql — Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) January 28, 2023 Gaetz’s proposed “Ukraine Fatigue” resolution, if passed, would only express “the sense of the House of Representatives” on cutting off aid to Ukraine. Even its passage by the House is doubtful given the slender Republican majority. And it is dead on arrival in the Senate because both Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell would oppose it. Furthermore, the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress in December ensures funding for aid to Ukraine through September 2023 when the fiscal year ends. Ukrainska Pravda, reporting on Gaetz’s resolution, referred to him and his cohorts as “Trumpists.” Its supporters include the usual suspects from the House crazy caucus: Its co-sponsors are: Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Paul Gosar (AZ-09), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Thomas Massie (KY-04), Mary Miller (IL-15), Barry Moore (AL-02), Ralph Norman (SC-05), and Matt Rosendale (MT-02). Since the onset of the war last February, the United States has been the top contributor of military equipment and aid to Ukraine, sending over $110 Billion of taxpayer money to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, including an additional $2 Billion in aid announced on February 3rd. In his statement, Gaetz noted that the U.S. had sent more than $110 billion in financial, military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine over the past year. The resolution makes the claim that such support for Ukraine’s defense in the face of Russia’s invasion is “inadvertently contributing to civilian casualties.” Gaetz said: “President Joe Biden must have forgotten his prediction from March 2022, suggesting that arming Ukraine with military equipment will escalate the conflict to ‘World War III.’ America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if we continue to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war. We must suspend all foreign aid for the War in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately,” Ukraine aid is actually a wedge issue for congressional Republicans. Gaetz’s resolution is likely to be just another headache for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy if it actually comes to a floor vote because it will put his caucus members on the spot. In May 2022, 57 GOP House members and 11 senators voted against a $40B aid bill for Ukraine. There are actually some Republican lawmakers who believe the Biden administration should be sending more advanced weapons to Ukraine, including Grey Eagle drones and long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS. The Defense One website reported on Feb. 4: Last week, in a Senate floor speech Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., made the case for giving Ukraine ATACMS and Grey Eagle and Reaper drones. “We should deliver these assets quickly to make an immediate difference on the battlefield. In concert with our allies, this approach of ‘more, better, faster’ would give the Ukrainians a real shot at victory,” he said. He doubled down on that message on Friday, calling the most recent aid package to Ukraine "the same unnecessary slow-walking that has gotten us to this point." Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, has also publicly signaled support for sending ATACMS to Ukraine. With their message, several Republicans atop key national security committees are trying to show that not only do they support Ukraine, they will do so more enthusiastically than Democrats and the White House. Rebeccah Heinrichs, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Defense One: "If you notice a lot of the arguments that people like Sen. Wicker, and Congressman Rogers, and all those, and even Sen. [Tom] Cotton–they've been arguing that the way to end the war is to speed up the delivery of these weapons in order to enable Ukraine to prevail. That's the argument they're making: If you want the war to end, this is the way you do it.” These Republican defense hawks also say they are interested in maintaining sufficient defense spending to refill the depleted U.S. military arsenal — following shipments of equipment and munitions to Ukraine — and maintain the country’s readiness to deter threats from China and other countries. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/9/2152148/-Matt-Gaetz-submits-Ukraine-Fatigue-resolution-to-halt-US-aid-to-Ukraine-but-it-will-fail Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/