Speaker of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress, Kevin McCarthy, has expressed his opposition to including $6 billion for Kyiv in the temporary budget

Speaker of the House of Representatives in the U.S. Congress, Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, is opposing the inclusion of provisions allocating approximately $6 billion in aid to Ukraine in the initiative to extend the funding for the federal government.

Earlier on the same day, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate preliminarily agreed on legislative measures to extend federal government funding until November 17, which includes the allocation of around $6 billion for aid to Ukraine. Approximately $6 billion is proposed to be allocated for disaster relief in the United States. The bill does not include measures to tighten control at the U.S.-Mexico border to curb illegal immigration, which Republicans insist on.

“If they want to focus on Ukraine and not the southern border, I think their priorities are backwards,” McCarthy said on Tuesday at a press conference, referring to the senators’ proposal.

When asked if he considered it wrong to include provisions for aiding Kyiv in the initiative, the congressman replied, “Yes, it’s wrong.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that he had been to some American states where significant damage had occurred due to various natural disasters and catastrophes. McCarthy emphasized that the residents of these states need assistance.

“They’re putting Ukraine above Americans,” the Republican underscored, speaking about the senators’ proposal.

“Why can’t we address the border and emergencies we have here?” McCarthy added. Regarding the allocation of funds to aid Kyiv, he remarked, “Why is that a higher priority than what’s happening at the border?”

On August 10th, the Washington administration requested from Congress, as additional expenses from the federal budget in the fiscal year 2023, which ends in the United States on September 30th, $13 billion for emergency military aid to Kyiv and $8.5 billion to support Ukraine and some other countries in the areas of economy and security.