The White House on Thursday said a missile strike that killed at least 51 people in Ukraine underscores the need for extra U.S. support for Kyiv, as President Biden struggles to lock down additional funding from House Republicans who say Americans have paid enough and that the administration should focus on domestic needs.
The missile hit a cafe and shop in the Kharkiv region and was blamed on a Russian strike. It was one of the worst attacks on civilians since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
“Can you imagine? Just walking to a grocery store with your kids, trying to figure out what is it you’re going to make for dinner, and you see an explosion happen where bodies are everywhere,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a daily briefing. “It is incredibly horrifying.”
“This is what is happening in Ukraine every day,” she said. “This is why we’re doing everything that we can to help Ukraine, to help the brave people of Ukraine to fight for their freedom, to fight for their democracy. We have to continue to support the people of Ukraine because this is the horrifying nature that they live in every day.”
Mr. Biden is requesting $24 billion more for Ukraine but the request is stuck in limbo after Congress passed a stopgap bill to fund the government for 45 days without attaching the aid.
The decision to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker threw the situation into deeper turmoil. The GOP majority may select a replacement who is a hardliner against aid.
The U.S. has provided more than $100 billion to the fight in Ukraine. Supporters say Ukraine is valiantly fighting Russian invaders on the doorstep of NATO and it is important to support them, and to show rogue nations they will be resisted.
Opponents of more aid say the U.S. cannot afford to extend a blank check to Kyiv without getting a better sense of battlefield objectives or a possible endgame for the war.
Ms. Jean-Pierre said the White House is using existing authorities and resources provided by Congress to support Ukraine, but “ultimately, we believe Congress needs to act.”
“We can go a bit longer but it’s not the long-term solution,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
