WASHINGTON D.C. (WTAQ-WLUK) – The two Republican Congressmen that represent Northeast Wisconsin are weighing in on their votes on Saturday’s foreign aid bills.
Rep. Glenn Grothman (WI-06) voted no on the $95 billion package while Rep. Mike Gallagher (WI-08) voted in support.
Grothman issued the following statement:
“For years now, I have been a proponent of fixing our broken immigration system and securing our porous southern border,” said Grothman. “I am disappointed that this week, aid to Ukraine took priority over the fight to get a handle on our open southern border. I felt that we should have negotiated harder over the spending bills passed last month to secure significant, consequential policy changes at the border, but we did not fight at that time.
“This package of legislation represented the last chance we had to make a stand on the border. It is apparent that President Biden will not do anything to reduce the over 200,000 migrants coming here illegally on a monthly basis—which is the biggest crisis of my lifetime. The only way to stop this influx right now is to force the Biden Administration to the table and one more time, Congress passed on that opportunity. Our last chance was to negotiate with the aid to Ukraine and unfortunately, not enough Republicans were willing to do it. It is a little bit galling because our leadership team had made public proclamations about using Ukraine aid to force the Biden Administration to do something about the border, but now that will not happen. We will now have to wait for a new President to stop the unprecedented flow of illegal migrants crossing the border.
“I have voted to support Ukraine in the past but since then have repeatedly expressed frustration in the lack of interest by the Biden Administration in working towards a peace agreement. All wars end eventually. Ukraine has the second lowest birth rate in the world and Russia also has a problem with too few young people. Both countries should be particularly interested in finding a way to end this war and there appears to be no effort made in this direction.
“I was happy to vote for funding to our ally Israel. It is essential to Israel’s existence that they succeed in eradicating Hamas, who orchestrated the October 7 attack that killed over 1,200 people. This funding was of particular importance given the recent unprecedented attacks by Iran and the fact that so much of the aid is going to replenish Israel’s defense systems, including the Iron Beam, Iron Dome, and David’s Sling that have been crucial over the last two weeks. We must stand strongly with our ally and support Israel’s right to defend itself.”
Rep. Gallagher, on his final day in office, issued the following statement:
“I am proud that the House took bipartisan action to support our allies in the face of authoritarian aggression from China, Russia, Iran, and Hamas. This package provides critical support to Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine as they defend the frontlines of the free world and renews the authority to sanction terrorist organizations like Hamas for using human shields. This legislation also defends our interests at home by including my bipartisan legislation to protect Americans against the national security threat posed by Chinese Communist Party control of TikTok. As this overwhelming vote demonstrates, America stands by its friends.”
The bill includes several key priorities of Rep. Gallagher:
Includes Rep. Gallagher’s Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which prevents app store availability or web hosting services in the United States for ByteDance-controlled applications, including TikTok, unless the application severs ties to entities that are subject to the control of a foreign adversary.
Empowers Ukraine to fight and win. Includes $23.2 billion to replenish defense articles and services provided to Ukraine, $11.3 billion to support U.S. military operations in Europe, and $13.8 billion for the procurement of advanced weapons systems, defense articles and defense services, and requires the transfer of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) to Ukraine.
Stands with Israel by providing over $5 billion to support its missile defense requirements, $3.5 billion in Foreign Military Financing to support Israeli defense forces, $1 billion to boost production of artillery and key munitions, and $2.4 billion for American forces operating in the region.
Reauthorizes and strengthens Rep. Gallagher’s 2018 Sanctioning the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act, which enhances sanctions enforcement and implementation against terrorist organizations that use innocent civilians as human shields – a despicable practice Hamas terrorists are continuing to use following their October 7th attack on Israel.
The bill includes several China-related provisions championed by Rep. Gallagher or related to the work of the Select Committee on the CCP:
Provides $1.9 billion for the replenishment of defense articles and services provided to Taiwan, as Rep. Gallagher called for alongside Select Committee members in a November letter urging a greater supplemental focus on the Indo-Pacific.
Provides $2 billion in Foreign Military Financing to enhance the defense of Indo-Pacific partners like Taiwan. Rep. Gallagher has been a leading champion of providing direct financial support to assist Taiwan in strengthening its defensive capabilities, including through the 2022 Arm Taiwan Act.
Provides $542 million to address Indo-Pacific Command unfunded requirements.
Provides $3.3 billion to enhance the U.S. submarine industrial base in support of AUKUS. Rep. Gallagher has been a leading supporter of AUKUS and the US-Australia bilateral alliance, serving as co-founder of the Friends of Australia Caucus and Co-Chair of the AUKUS Working Group.
Provides $133 million to expand defense industrial capacity for artillery and critical munitions.
Requires DoD’s annual China Military Power report to provide an assessment of the PRC’s development of critical and emerging technologies, as well as to identify key PRC entities involved in each technology sector.
Includes the Fend off Fentanyl Act, which declares international fentanyl trafficking a national emergency and directs the Treasury Department to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations and key members of drug cartels involved in international fentanyl trafficking. The Fend Off Fentanyl Act was a key recommendation in the Select Committee’s bipartisan report on the PRC’s role in the fentanyl crisis.
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