There will be no additional funding for Ukraine without first making extensive reforms to the U.S. immigration system, House Speaker Mike Johnson told President Biden on Tuesday.
Johnson issued the ultimatum in a letter to the White House, according to Punchbowl News. Biden and Democrats had pushed for months to provide additional funding for Ukraine's war effort amid dwindling Republican support for the issue. With immigration being an even more divisive issue for Congress, Johnson's declaration is a major blow to the prospect of further aid to Kyiv.
Johnson's letter says Ukraine aid is "dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation's border security laws," according to Punchbowl.
The message came in response to a Monday letter from the White House. Penned by Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, it warned that the U.S. would run out of Ukraine aid funding by the end of 2023.
"There is no magical pot of funding available to meet this moment. We are out of money—and nearly out of time," Young wrote. "Cutting off the flow of U.S. weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories."
"Already, our packages of security assistance have become smaller and the deliveries of aid have become more limited. If our assistance stops, it will cause significant issues for Ukraine," she added.
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The U.S. has already contributed well over $100 billion to Ukraine's war effort since Russia invaded the country in February 2022. Republicans have increasingly questioned why that money isn't being spent at home, however.
Johnson first announced plans to pair Ukraine funding and immigration funding into the same bill in early November.
"The American people feel very strongly about this, and I do as well. We have things that we can and should do around the world, but we have to take care of our own house first," Johnson said at the time. "As long as the border is wide open, we're opening ourselves up for great threats. And again, it's just a matter of principle that if we're going to take care of a border in Ukraine, we need to take care of America's as well. And I think there's bipartisan support for that idea."
Ukrainian forces have found little success in their months-long counteroffensive against Russia as well. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that the world should "be prepared for bad news" in the conflict this week.
