A senior House Republican lawmaker told Politico on Monday that there are not enough Republican votes to send Ukraine more aid.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky will head to the Capitol building on Thursday, where he will lobby for more aid for Ukraine. President Joe Biden has asked for $24 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) predicted on Sunday that Zelensky “makes the case better than anyone” and could be “very, very persuasive” in getting reluctant Republicans to back more aid.
WATCH — Dem Rep. Moskowitz: We Can’t Sacrifice FEMA Money to Try to Get Ukraine Funding:
One senior GOP lawmaker scoffed at the remark.
The lawmaker joked that when Turner’s “pet unicorn has offspring, I’d like to buy one of the colts.”
“Get out of here. That’s just crazy. … We do not have the votes in the Republican conference to do any Ukraine funding,” the lawmaker continued.
As Zelensky moves to request more aid from American taxpayers, six Ukrainian deputy defense ministers were fired following the dismissal of Minister Oleksii Reznikov in a corruption scandal.
WATCH — Jean-Pierre on Ukraine Funding Endangering Disaster Funding: Both “Are Incredibly Important” for Biden and Americans:
Politico also reported that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will not have a one-on-one meeting with Zelensky.
Richard Stern, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s budget center, told Breitbart News that the total proposed aid to Ukraine would cost $1,100 per household if one were to include Biden’s requested $24 billion in aid to Ukraine.
According to the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households, 37 percent of Americans lack enough money to cover a $400 emergency expense, which is up from 32 percent in 2021.
Breitbart News’s Kristina Wong reported that Biden has vowed to give survivors of the Maui fires a one-time $700 payment per household, which is less than the aid currently given to Ukraine.
A CNN poll found that a majority of Americans, or 55 percent, believe Congress should not send more aid to Ukraine.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.