On Monday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emphasized his support for military assistance to Ukraine while denouncing Russia’s “killing of the children” and separating himself from those members of his party who reject extra significant U.S. aid to stave off the Russian invasion.
McCarthy, who was on his first international trip as a speaker, vehemently denied at a press conference that he opposes providing military and financial aid to Ukraine. McCarthy also emphasized his positions on domestic issues, such as his demand for debt limit talks with President Joe Biden.
“I support providing aid to Ukraine. In response to a query from a Russian reporter, McCarthy declared, “I favor assistance for Ukraine. I oppose what your nation did to Ukraine and the slaughter of children in your country.
McCarthy advised the Russian reporter to leave. “We will continue to support—because the rest of the world sees it just as it is.”
As the new House speaker and the first American politician to address the Israeli Knesset in 25 years, McCarthy arrived in Jerusalem at the head of a bipartisan delegation of US MPs. This was his first international trip.
After his trip abroad, domestic politics took over, and the Republican speaker claimed that he had still not heard from Democrat Biden regarding negotiations.
McCarthy joked that he feels “a little like Netanyahu” because the American president still hasn’t called the Israeli Prime Minister, saying, “The president still hasn’t talked to me.” McCarthy was alluding to the Israeli Prime Minister.
McCarthy added, “I’m hoping the president will change his mind and start negotiating with us.
In exchange for a long list of spending caps and other conservative policy demands that Democrats oppose, House Republicans passed a comprehensive deal last week that would lift the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion until 2024. If the law were to be passed by the House and Senate, Biden has stated that he would veto it.
Biden has stated that the debt ceiling negotiations must be held in private.
McCarthy clarified that House Republicans would not support a purportedly “clean” debt ceiling.
McCarthy declared, “We will not approve a debt ceiling that simply raises it without addressing our debt.”
The former Democratic leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who was again by his side, frequently accompanied the Republican leader on the trips he led the congressional delegation on.
Hoyer was elected speaker of the House in January after a contentious internal party struggle.
The visit occurred as Congress prepared to debate a request to deliver significant aid to Ukraine. As the discussion progresses,
McCarthy must negotiate Republican politics, especially from the Trump-aligned wing that has raised opposition to spending abroad to deter Russian aggression.
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