The two U.S. senators from Ohio remain divided on what role the country should take in the war in Ukraine, more than a year and a half after Russia invaded its western neighbor.
On the brink of a shutdown at the end of September, federal lawmakers cleared a continuing resolution to fund the government for 45 days — but they sent it to U.S. President Joe Biden without additional dollars for Ukraine.
The funding that has already been appropriated to the Ukrainian war effort is dwindling, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sen. Sherrod Brown, alongside other Democratic senators, sent a letter Wednesday calling on Congressional leaders to immediately act by passing legislation that provides the country with more military and economic aid.
Brown said he worries the debacle over who is in charge of the U.S. House only threatens momentum more.
“We need to provide assistance for Ukraine,” Brown said in an interview. “If we fall short, I would put it this way, that China and Putin in Russia are having a celebration because the American House of Representatives is so dysfunctional that we're not able to do as a government what we ought to be doing.”
He said he believes it’s apparent what “the right moral position is.”
But freshman Sen. J.D. Vance is aligned with many Republicans against the U.S. greenlighting more money.
“Right now, we are funding what is effectively an indeterminate war of unlimited ends, unlimited resources. We need to stop it and bring peace to the table,” Vance said.
The U.S. has sent nearly $44 billion in military assistance alone since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, according to the defense department.
Support among Americans appears to be waning when it comes to the war. In a poll released Oct. 5 by Reuters/Ipsos, only about 41% of respondents said they agreed with further security assistance, such as sending tanks, rockets and ammunition. That was down from 46% in a prior poll.
