Republicans Threaten To Block Pentagon Funding Unless Trump Takes Tougher Stance On Russia

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) The Hill reports this, according to Ukrinform.

Several pro-Ukraine Republicans are outraged by Trump's recent foreign policy decisions, including his agreement with Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel fuel into the United States. Reports that Ukraine's use of the Starlink satellite system has been restricted and that intelligence sharing has been reduced have also sparked anger. Republicans are demanding that sanctions against Russia be reinstated and Starlink restrictions lifted, as the Pentagon and the Trump administration are rushing to secure increased funding.

Congressman Don Bacon warned this week that Congress would not support Trump's legislative agenda unless he takes action against Russia's military machine. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick told The Wall Street Journal that the administration would face“consequences” unless it restores Ukraine's access to satellite technology.

“The Administration's decision to reduce intel sharing to Ukraine and access to Starlink equates to aiding the invader & the war criminal who bombs cities,” Bacon wrote on X. He also warned that the Administration's policy was doomed unless it changed course.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office declined to comment.

The publication notes that Hegseth has been seeking congressional approval for months of a record $1.5 trillion defense budget proposed by Trump. Last week, he also said the Pentagon would push for approval of a $350 billion supplemental funding package that has stalled in Congress over disagreements about how it should be funded.

The package provides funding for several of Trump's priorities, including $17 billion for the Golden Dome homeland missile defense system, drones, and $47 billion to expand ammunition production. The Pentagon is also requesting another $36 billion for the Warrior Ethos program, which would invest in housing and infrastructure for service members.

Since Democrats are almost unanimously opposed to Trump's war against Iran, Republican leaders will need the support of virtually every member of their House caucus to pass the package. Bacon believes the President's soft policy toward Russia has alienated enough fellow Republicans to make it more difficult to pass defense funding and other legislative initiatives.

Read also: Trump:“My stance on Russia is very simple” as he explains recent action

The agreement involving Russian diesel fuel has drawn particular criticism. Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers sent Trump a letter saying the deal violated, if not the letter, then the spirit of a new law imposing sanctions on Russia.

Some Republicans who spoke on condition of anonymity also criticized the President's decision amid rising diesel prices, linking the situation to the war against Iran.

“He [Trum] needs to drop this decision. Like, A, it's illegal. We passed a law saying there's an energy ban on Russia. But at the same time, why did we get ourselves into a war in the Middle East to upset fuel prices? You want to lower fuel prices, figure that out,” an aide to one House Republican said.

As reported by Ukrinform, the U.S. President said that he did not want to make decisions that could push Russia away from peace talks and accused Volodymyr Zelensky of being“unwilling to end the war.”

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