US lawmakers press for release of aid for Ukraine to fight Russia

[struggle4progress]

Joe Gould
1 day ago

WASHINGTON ― A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is pressuring the Trump administration to release $250 million in military aid to Ukraine.

In a letter sent Tuesday to acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, the leaders of the Senate’s bipartisan Ukraine Caucus expressed “deep concerns” as the Trump administration evaluates the aid package ...

"In willfully delaying these funds, the Trump Administration is once again trying to circumvent Congress' Constitutional prerogative of appropriating funds for U.S. government agencies,” Menendez said in a statement. “It is also undermining a key policy priority that has broad and deep bipartisan support” ...

U.S. lawmakers have urged Trump to take a harder line on Russia on a number of fronts since he took office. The latest controversy comes days after Trump campaigned to reinstate Russia into the Group of Seven, or G-7, during its annual gathering in Biarritz, France. Russia was excluded in 2014 after its annexation of Crimea ...

https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2019/09/03/us-lawmakers-press-trump-to-release-aid-for-ukraine-to-fight-russia/

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Should send the letter to Putin...avoid the middleman. NT