Heritage Action stated Wednesday in a statement that President Joe Biden’s request for additional funding for Ukraine and the coronavirus “ignores the concerns the American people.” Heritage Action issued its statement following Biden’s request for Congress to provide $13.7 billion more in aid to Ukraine. The previous $40 billion aid package for Ukraine is now empty.
Biden is reported to have spent three-quarters the $40 billion Congress approved in May.
Biden’s $47billion funding request would also provide $7.1billion to purchase additional vaccines, while $8billion would be used to fund next-generation therapeutics and vaccines. This package would also include $4.5 billion for the fight against monkeypox.
Jessica Anderson, Heritage Action’s executive director, stated that this funding request does not address the concerns of the American people.
In addition to the $50 billion already granted, President Biden requests additional funding for COVID, monkeypox and natural disaster funding. These funding requests ignore American concerns and President Biden refuses basic questions about fiscal responsibility and the appropriateness of his funding requests. Additionally, U.S. support to Ukraine should be openly discussed without the liberal congressional leadership using funding for Washington’s priority projects.
Anderson also demanded that the Republican leadership reject any continuing resolution (CR), which would promote progressive priorities. Anderson stated that transparency should be a part of the funding process:
First, the conservatives in Congress need to unite against any short term funding proposals that would give the outgoing Democratic leadership the power to push their progressive priorities in the funding debate in the coming weeks or in a lame duck session of Congress. Their progressive agenda includes Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer’s attempts to divide conservatives prior to the November elections. He attached a radical definition of marriage which would threaten religious liberty and the tax-exempt status for faith-based schools and adoption agencies as well as charities.
Second, the conservatives should press for transparent funding in the new Congress. Closed-door negotiations can lead to poor policy that doesn’t reflect the will and desires of the American people. Congress has one of the most important tasks of funding the government. Representatives must be accountable to taxpayers and their values.
Anderson concluded that “Our message to the Republican leadership in Congress was simple: We want a new conservative Congress who drafts the next appropriations bill in an open, transparent manner while responsible for advancing good policy.”
