Call To Action -- Help Pass Ukraine Aid Bill!
Time is on Putin's side if we don't counter MAGA extremists in the House.
Feathers of Hope is a network of ordinary citizens who have joined together around a shared commitment to diminishing the power and influence of MAGA extremists in the House of Representatives.
Since January, 2023, we have been urging moderate Republicans and Democrats to form a bipartisan majority voting bloc in order to conduct our nation’s legislative business, and to defend the institution from its internal enemies.
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Speaker Johnson declares Immigration/Ukraine Aid bill “dead on arrival”.
After insisting that aid for Ukraine be linked to an immigration reform package, MAGA extremists are now rejecting both as demanded by former president Donald Trump.
Regardless of what happens with US border security proposals, aid to Ukraine must be separated from that dispute now and passed immediately. There is strong bipartisan majority support for President Biden’s Ukraine assistance package in both Houses of Congress, and the need for swift passage is urgent. It’s unclear whether Speaker Mike Johnson is willing to bring this to the floor as a separate measure. But he has consistently supported aid to Ukraine in the past, and pressure from House membership can help to force his hand.
Please call your own Representative in Congress today. Urge them to separate and pass the weapons and aid package for Ukraine right away. If you don’t know their office phone number, you can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Also, please call the office of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA): (202) 225-4000. Remind him that Ukraine is fast running out of resources and needs our assistance immediately.
In addition, here are the numbers of six influential “traditional Republicans” who have military, intelligence and/or foreign policy credentials. Their support can be decisive:
Don Bacon (R-NE-02): (202) 225-4155
Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01): (202) 225-4276
Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08): (202) 225-5665
Mike Garcia (R-CA-27): (202) 225-1956
Nick LaLota (R-NY-01): (202) 225-3826
Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02): (202) 225-4215
(When calling these offices, you may be asked whether you live in the Representative’s district. If asked, I always answer “No, I do not. But the issue I’m calling about affects everyone in every district.”
I’ve never had a Congressional aide refuse to talk to me after giving this answer. Generally, they’re happy to talk with anyone who is courteous and respectful. -JW)
For the past few days, the media has focused almost exclusively on the border security part of this bill.
Negotiators in the Senate report that they are near agreement on provisions that would increase funding for border enforcement, revise rules for asylum seekers and give the President new authority to completely shut down the border when the volume of crossings becomes overwhelming.
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has observed that terms of the potential agreement are far more restrictive (thus much better from the GOP viewpoint) than could have been expected. And the lead Republican negotiator, arch-conservative Sen. James Langford (R-OK), vigorously defended it on Sunday. Mr. Langford also pointed out the hypocrisy of his colleagues demanding a border deal and then stepping away from one because it’s an election year.
Of course, there was never any reason to link aid to Ukraine with American border security in the first place, except as a ruse. As is now becoming clear, Trump’s pro-Putin MAGA followers were confident that an immigration agreement could not be reached. So they expected that their intentional sabotage of Ukrainian military assistance would become just part of a “collapse of border talks,” rather than be seen as the monumental betrayal that it actually is.
Failure to sustain assistance to Ukraine would be catastrophic — potentially far worse than the invasion of Iraq after 9/11.
As misguided as the invasion of Iraq was, at least it was a legitimate policy choice made by the President and Vice-President of the United States. However ill-advised that choice turned out to be, presumably there had been extensive consideration of options and potential consequences by Defense and State Department analysts before a final decision to proceed was made.
But the current failure to provide ongoing support for Ukraine is not a policy decision at all. It’s more like willful negligence, driven by a minority faction of MAGA extremists in the House of Representatives. It is in fact directly contrary to both the President’s policies, and the will of the Congress as a whole. Worse, the driving force behind this willful negligence is a man holding no office whatever, the ex-president.
As we know, Americans have a notoriously limited attention span.
Now that broadcast media has lost interest in the war in Ukraine, widespread support for the courageous and determined population of that beleaguered nation has largely dissipated. But the war drags on, and prospects for recovering territory seized by Vladimir Putin’s forces continue to slip away.
The New York Times recently published an update describing current conditions along the war’s front lines, a reminder well-worth reading here: At Hell's Gate in Ukraine
Last week a barrage of 41 cruise and ballistic missiles struck both Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing 19 and wounding 120.
These deadly missile attacks on major European cities barely rated a mention on our broadcast news programs, now dominated by talk about the US-Mexican border. Long gone are the blue and yellow banners that were so ubiquitous just a year ago. But it’s crucial that we not abandon our faithful ally now, in their moment of greatest need.
This is a matter of grave concern not only for Ukraine, but for our own national security as well.
Olga Lautman, senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis forcefully made this point in her substack newsletter on Sunday:
“Ukraine's ability to defend itself is not only vital for its sovereignty but also for the security of Europe and the United States. Failure to supply the essential weapons and assistance will have catastrophic consequences, leaving Ukraine vulnerable and endangering European stability. We must prioritize Ukraine's security and equip them to counter and defeat Russia’s aggressions.”
Ms. Lautman also pointed directly to the specific source of the current problem, as well as the international ramifications of MAGA extremists’ intransigence:
“Moreover, the abandonment of Ukraine by certain factions within the Republican party is causing increasing worries among our NATO allies. Such actions signal a weakening of our commitments to our allies, emboldening aggressors like Russia, Iran, and China. The strength of the international order hinges on robust alliances, and any erosion of trust with our partners can have enduring repercussions. Meanwhile, dictatorships around the world are seizing this opportunity to weaken the United States and its allies and disrupt global security and stability.”
As Thomas Friedman in the New York Times this weekend explains,
“In the Ukraine-Russia war, the Ukrainian Army and people are bearing the full brunt of the conflict — and are ready to continue doing so. All they are asking the United States and its allies for are advanced weapons and financial help. How could we possibly be balking? For tens of billions of dollars, and not a single American soldier killed, Ukraine has inflicted a profound setback to Putin’s army that makes it much less dangerous to the West and to Kyiv. It’s the greatest bargain NATO ever got. . .”
“At a breakfast with NATO leaders devoted to the Ukraine issue at Davos this year, Canada’s deputy prime minister, Chrystia Freeland, noted that it is we, the West, who should be thanking the Ukrainians, not forcing them to beg us for more weapons. . .”
“Let’s not think that this is a Ukrainian problem; this is a problem for us all. ”
Your phone is within reach right now. You can help.
This is a network of ordinary citizens. In a democracy, we exercise our power by raising our voices. To be silent is to be powerless.
Thank you for this and for the list. I just reposted your blog on Facebook.
I called them all: Speaker Johnson's staff only allowed me to say a very short message before they cut me off--I'm sure they see I'm calling from a 707area code not in their state!
I talked to Congressman Bacon's staff member, very polite.
Called Fitzpatrick, cut off immediately due to my area code.
Called Gallagher, talked to staff, listened politely.
Called Garcia, talked to staff, also listened politely.
Called LaLota, pressed 1 as a constituent, and got a nice person who also listened politely.
Called Kiggans, talked to very nice person, did not mention my non-constituency!
Reminded them that Senator Mitch McConnell is in total support of Biden's aid package to the border and to Ukraine. All said they would pass my message on the Congress members.
Catherine in California