GOP skeptic outlines blueprint for convincing House Republicans on new Ukraine aid

Nov 29, 2023

A Republican at the center of the House fight over renewing Ukraine aid is making his case for a slimmed down funding package that can win GOP support.

Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) laid out the potential solution in a new memo obtained by POLITICO and plans to circulate it among House Republicans. The proposal focuses primarily on military aid that can deliver a “knock-out punch” in the fight with Russia and simultaneously address GOP concerns about the conflict’s endgame, as well as the $61.4 billion price tag of President Joe Biden’s latest Ukraine proposal.

“When they see this, I think they’re going to be amenable to the answers I’m providing here,” Garcia said in an interview. “They know $61 billion is not the right number.”

The new effort comes after Garcia criticized a White House response to an earlier memo outlining concerns that he and other House Republicans say must be addressed before approving more funding for Ukraine.

An increasing number of Republicans have opposed new Ukraine funding, including Garcia. But the California Republican argues most of those Republicans can still be won over with a smaller aid package and a clear endgame for the war.

Under the plan, the U.S. would provide weapons and munitions that deliver a decisive battlefield advantage. He estimates the munitions package could fall within the range of $15-20 billion for all of fiscal 2024, a much lower figure than Biden’s supplemental request.

His plan says munitions and other weapons shouldn’t come at the expense of U.S. needs or commitments to Israel or Taiwan. It also calls for continued end-use monitoring of weapons sent to Ukraine.

The memo argues that the U.S. should discontinue humanitarian aid and also cut off direct budgetary support to Ukraine, instead pressuring European nations to carry those responsibilities.

Garcia also says the U.S. and allies should endorse a “maximum pressure” posture on economic sanctions, including a full ban on Russian oil and minerals, and calls for enactment of legislation to use seized Russian assets to fund the war effort.

As the Senate prepares to debate Biden’s $106 billion aid proposal for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific and border security, Garcia says his plan could serve as the blueprint for an alternative House proposal.

“The problem we have in the House is that we’re going to get flat footed if we don’t actually put something forward that represents where we want it to be,” he said. “So, I’m trying to use this paper as the forcing function.”

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