Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, told Newsmax Tuesday that he supports additional funding for Ukraine because it benefits U.S. “national interests,” while acknowledging that getting it passed in the House could be “tricky.”
“There's only a three-vote Republican majority, now that [Rep. George] Santos [R-N.Y.] has been expelled and with [Rep. Kevin] McCarthy [R-Calif.] on his way out, so, time's a-wasting,” Aronberg said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “American Agenda.”
“That's why Zelenskyy’s here; it's urgent. It's hard to read the tea leaves, whether they have the votes. I think it was probably a real positive development for Ukraine and Zelenskyy that he showed up here in person to lobby people individually, but, unless you're in the inroads within Congress in leadership, you probably won't know for sure.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was on Capitol Hill Tuesday to make a last-ditch plea to lawmakers to approve more military support for his country’s battle against Russia. Facing tens of thousands of Ukrainian losses, a massive budget deficit and Russian advances in the east, Zelenskyy is asking Congress, including skeptical Republicans, to provide much-needed military and humanitarian aid.
Some Republicans, especially those allied with former President Donald Trump, oppose more funding for Ukraine and are calling for transparency on how the money is being spent and for detailed war objectives.
Border security and immigration reform has also been a sticking point, with some GOP lawmakers demanding stepped-up security measures at the U.S.-Mexico border and increased funding in exchange for sending more money to Kyiv.
Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Congress has approved more than $110 billion for Ukraine. There have been no new funds approved, however, since Republicans gained the majority in the House in January.
Aronberg said it was important to continue funding Ukraine because of Russia’s ties to Iran and Iran’s connection to the situation in Israel.
“Russia and Putin, they're tied in with Iran,” he said. “They took the side of the Palestinians even after the bloody massacre [in Israel] on Oct. 7 – that tells you where Putin is. He's not our ally. He is our enemy. He's NATO’s enemy and we're fighting the war against Putin through our proxies in Ukraine on the cheap, which has been good for the United States. So, I support more funding for the Ukraine defense because it benefits our own national interests.”
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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