One year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Biden is pledging continued financial, military and humanitarian support for the embattled nation.
"Freedom is priceless. It's worth fighting for, for as long as it takes. And that's how long we're going to be with you, Mr. President, for as long as it takes," President Biden said during his visit to Ukraine.
Back in the U.S., support for Ukraine is still strong, but it seems to be waning.
A January AP/NORC poll found fewer Americans want the U.S. to play a major role in the Russia-Ukraine war. And in a February Pew poll, a quarter of respondents believe the U.S. is providing too much support for Ukraine.
The U.S. has sent Ukraine over $113 billion in military, economic and humanitarian aid. That money has covered everything from teacher and first responder salaries to missile systems and military tanks.
In Congress, Rep. Matt Gaetz is leading a group of House Republicans who've been increasingly vocal about their desire to stop Ukraine aid altogether. But the bipartisan congressional delegation at the Munich Security Conference last weekend showed those members are outnumbered.
"I just did a panel with Director Burns, indicating our full bipartisan support on the intelligence side, on the armed services side for full support for Ukraine," said Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Even with strong bipartisan consensus, Republican leaders admit the longer the conflict drags on, the harder it will be to keep support levels up — something they say Russian President Vladimir Putin knows.
"He wants us to be a long protracted war, because he knows that potentially, he'll lose, we could lose the will of the American people, and therefore the Congress. We're seeing the same dynamic in the European Parliament's strong support now, but they're worried that if this doesn't end with a resolution, you know, sooner rather than later, this will be an issue for us," said Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
With the Senate's leaders largely in agreement on this issue, the question of future Ukraine aid lies largely in the House. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has said he supports Ukraine, but he's also called for more oversight on how money is being spent.
The inspectors general for the Defense Department, State Department and USAID have been working together on oversight efforts since June. The Ukraine aid passed with the December omnibus bill requires those inspectors general to prepare a report for congressional committees before the end of March.
Stephanie Liebergen
