OAN’s James Meyers
11:22 AM – Thursday, September 21, 2023
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Thursday he denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress.
Advertisement
“President Zelenskyy asked for a joint session. We just didn’t have time. He’s already given a joint session [address],” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, referring to Zelenskyy’s previous visit to the U.S. in Dec. 2022. “So what we’re doing for Zelenskyy is exactly the same thing we did for the prime minister of the U.K., the prime minister of Italy. We’ll put the bipartisan group of members together to meet with him, no different than we did with anybody else. And this is a little busy week. We’re dealing with the funding issue. I don’t know how we could slip that in in such a short time.”
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is back in Washington, D.C., looking to plead for more U.S. aid as Ukraine’s war with Russia is still ongoing.
This comes after the Ukrainian president last delivered a joint address in December and earlier in the week gave a speech to the United Nations.
President Joe Biden last month asked Congress for another staggering $24 billion to support Ukraine in the war with already $113 billion previously allocated to the eastern european nation.
However, multiple Republicans in the House and Senate have opposed the president’s request, signing a letter asking for answers on why the money is being spent and for an update in the war.
“I think a lot of people have the question … What’s the strategy to win? Accountability — they want to make sure the resources are going to the right place,” McCarthy told reporters Wednesday.
Currently, McCarthy is battling with other GOP members in a spending fight that could lead to a possible government shutdown at the end of the month.
Additionally, President Biden is expected to meet with Zelenskyy on Thursday as well.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Be the first to comment