WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with two million grassroots activists, strongly opposes the Senate’s supplemental foreign aid package—with or without the so-called border deal—and will issue a second Key Vote today if Majority Leader Chuck Schumer forces the Senate to consider the foreign aid-only supplemental. Heritage Action maintains our previously issued Key Vote on the $118 billion supplemental appropriations package.
Executive Vice President Ryan Walker released the following statement reiterating the organization’s opposition to President Biden’s supplemental spending request:
“For months, conservatives have been consistent in our opposition to President Biden’s reckless, unrelated supplemental request that sticks Americans with more than $100 billion in additional deficit spending—all without accountability or transparency.
“Our principled opposition will not change if Chuck Schumer strips out the ‘border security deal’ that was proven so unserious it collapsed in 48 hours. Heritage Action will Key Vote ‘No’ on cloture on the motion to proceed to the foreign funding-only package for the same reasons conservatives have been explaining to lawmakers for months: It’s irresponsible to endlessly fund the war in Ukraine while the Biden administration fails to articulate a goal, strategy, or path to resolution. And conservatives cannot support deficit spending that pushes past Pelosi-era levels with no effort to find offsets in the budget or consider the provisions separately.
“It’s unbelievable that senators would ask the American people to spend billions and billions of dollars on the salaries of Ukrainian bureaucrats and the coffers of foreign banks while families struggle to afford groceries and rent because of Washington’s addiction to deficit spending. If Chuck Schumer keeps bringing this unaccountable foreign aid package to the floor, conservatives should be united in opposition for as long as it takes. It is high time the American people are heard.”
By issuing a Key Vote, lawmakers are notified that their vote on this legislation will affect their grade on the Heritage Action Scorecard, which shows voters and activists how conservative lawmakers are by comparing their policy positions to those of Heritage Action. The scores of lawmakers who vote to proceed to the bill will be negatively impacted.
So far, the American people have sent $113 billion to Ukraine—more than $45 billion of which was for non-defense spending. As Heritage Action laid out for lawmakers in an email to congressional staff earlier this week, the funding for Ukraine in President Biden’s supplemental spending request violates the responsible principles consistently laid out by conservatives to consider additional funding:
There is no public accounting of the expended military and economic aid.
It is not being considered on its own merits.
The administration has not articulated the end goal, expected U.S. commitment, impacts of drawdown authority, and assurances of further commitments from our European partners.
Tens of millions of U.S. dollars have already been stolen by corrupt Ukrainian officials because of Congress's chaotic and reckless push to provide aid without guardrails, and the administration has yet to explain how further fraud will be prevented.
Worse, this funding includes $7.85 billion "which may include budget support" to Ukraine for salaries and other needs of government employees and soldiers and $50 million more for "food insecurity." It provides $5.65 billion "to address humanitarian needs in response to the situations in Israel and Ukraine, including the provision of emergency food and shelter." An additional $1.58 billion will support "Europe, Eurasia and Central Europe" as an "emergency requirement." $3.5 billion will meet the humanitarian needs of "refugees in response to the situations in Israel and Ukraine." Lastly, the bill provides a component of the World Bank $250 million.
BACKGROUND:
The Heritage Foundation: The Senate’s Supplemental Spending Package Is Reckless and Irresponsible
Heritage Action: Conservatives Should Oppose the Senate’s Unserious Supplemental Package