Senate Republicans on Wednesday said congressional efforts to press the Biden administration on its response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine have been largely bipartisan while calling on President Joe Biden to take additional steps.
Shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a virtual address to Congress, Biden said the United States will provide Ukraine with an additional $800 million in military aid, including anti-aircraft defenses Zelensky referenced in his address. The additional aid was some, but not all, of what Zelensky requested. The Ukrainian president has called for a NATO-led no-fly zone over Ukraine to reduce attacks from Putin’s forces, but many lawmakers appear to prefer equipping Ukraine to enforce its own no-fly zone, keeping U.S. forces out of direct conflict.
A group of Senate Republicans praised some of the sanctions and economic steps Biden has taken to deter Putin’s aggression but said additional steps to deter the Russian’ dictator’s invasion, including stronger sanctions and more military aid, are necessary.
Idaho Sen. James Risch, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that although there were “a bunch of Republicans” at the press conference, “Democrats and Republicans are pushing the administration.”
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The Biden administration initially balked at banning imports of Russian energy products in response to the invasion, citing concerns over already rising gas prices, but it changed course in the face of bipartisan congressional support for the move. The Republican senators seemed optimistic that a unified Congress could continue to influence the White House.
Sen. Rob Portman called for a more creative and swift response to “protect a country that is under siege.”
Portman, the top Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said Congress and Biden should ensure Ukraine has the means to defend itself.
Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse characterized the conflict as “a moral battle,” not a “nerd lawyer discussion,” and said it requires a more prompt and strong response from the U.S.
“We know who the Ukrainians are — they are freedom fighters,” Sasse said. “We know who Putin is. He bombs women and children. The question in the speech this morning was who are we going to be. We’re a superpower, and Zelensky challenged us to act like one.”
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Sasse quipped that “if it shoots, we should ship it.”
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy praised some of Biden’s economic responses to Putin’s invasion, but he said the president had a “Bambi’s baby brother moment” in his hesitation to ban importing Russian energy products and resume some domestic energy production.
“I think it’s important to recognize when he does things right, and I congratulate President Biden on some of these sanctions,” Kennedy said.
In a tweet earlier Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that Zelensky “united a room full of members of the U.S. Senate and House quickly and intensely with equal parts resolve and unity and determination to save democracy from an hour of darkness.”
President Zelenskyy united a room full of members of the U.S. Senate and House quickly and intensely with equal parts resolve and unity and determination to save democracy from an hour of darkness.
Congress and the American people stand with the people of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/uFffzlXJz0
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) March 16, 2022
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“Congress and the American people stand with the people of Ukraine,” Schumer wrote.
