Rep. Mike Turner says aid to Ukraine is critical: “We have to support them now or they will lose”

Washington — House Intelligence Committee chair Mike Turner urged on Sunday that Congress must approve additional aid for Ukraine. But he appeared hopeful that the House will move “quickly,” despite opposition from within his own party. 

“This is critical. We have to support them now or they will lose,” Turner, an Ohio Republican, said on “Face the Nation” on Sunday. 

The future of U.S. support for Ukraine was thrown into question in recent weeks, after the Senate approved a supplemental funding package that would provide aid to Ukraine and other U.S. allies. But Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to bring up the legislation for a vote in the lower chamber, urging that the House will find its own path forward. 

Though support for additional aid to Ukraine remains strong among Democrats and some House Republicans, a number of House conservatives are staunchly opposed. The opposition has put pressure on Johnson, who must maneuver a razor-thin and often divided majority in the chamber. But Turner suggested that Johnson “now has the leeway and the flexibility” to bring up the foreign aid bill for a vote. 

Citing a recent suggestion from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries that House Democrats would save Johnson from an ouster vote should he bring the aid bill, Turner said he now expects the legislation to move forward quickly in the House.

“I think the Speaker sees that emergency, Hakeem Jeffries sees that emergency and I think we’re gonna see bills hit the floor,” Turner said.

The top congressional leaders met last week at the White House, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Jeffries said they made clear to Johnson how “vital” the aid is to help Ukraine in its war with Russia.

“We would, in all likelihood, lose the war” if Ukraine doesn’t get more ammunition and supplies soon, Schumer said after the meeting. “NATO would be fractured at best. Allies would turn away from the United States.”