Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, demands that the Biden administration clearly formulate its ultimate strategic goal of supporting Ukraine before asking Congress to approve a new package of military aid to Kyiv.
He insists that having a clear picture of how American aid is being spent is important. Johnson accused the Biden administration of failing to respond to his repeated inquiries about the intended outcomes of providing aid to Ukraine. In addition, the politician is considering direct negotiations with Biden regarding additional funding for Ukraine and US border security. However, the White House has reportedly urged Johnson to participate in slow-moving bipartisan talks in the Senate.
On January 8, Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress agreed on a federal budget of $1.66T before the end of the fiscal year. Biden praised Congress for coming to an agreement on the budget and called for further consideration of his request for aid to Ukraine and Israel.