The Russian invasion of Ukraine has helped turn the tables on how things usually operate in Washington, D.C., as Congress has repeatedly driven the White House beyond its stated policies with bipartisan demands for more assertive moves, Politico reported on Monday.
The first push by Congress, which typically takes a back seat on foreign policy matters, was its call for tougher sanctions, followed by an appeal for a larger military and humanitarian assistance package.
When those pressure tactics by Congress worked, the White House then considered a ban on Russian oil as too politically risky given the effect on gas prices at home. But both parties in Congress clamored for such a move and also insisted that the United States end permanent normal trade relations with Russia.
These tactics by Congress have so far been successful in making the White House do more than it initially suggested it could, and now lawmakers are pressing the Biden administration to go further than it wants in facilitating the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine, Politico reported.
Russia over the weekend warned that it would view any such delivery as an escalation, and signaled that any such humanitarian assistance convoys would be considered "legitimate targets."
President Joe Biden rejected Warsaw's offer to move their Soviet-era planes to Ukraine, as the U.S. administration is concerned about ratcheting up tensions with the Kremlin.
The administration has even taken steps back to ease tensions, such as canceling special operations training and delaying missile tests, the National Security Daily pointed out, with a "Pentagon push to send more trainers to Ukraine scrapped in December amid White House fears of provoking Russia."
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, speaking from the Ukraine-Polish border, told CNN's "State of the Union" that "what we've heard directly from the Ukrainians is they want [the planes] badly," adding that "they want the ability to have better control over the skies in order to give them a fighting chance. I don't understand why we're not doing it."
Democrats have also joined in the criticism, urging the administration to approve the move, Politico reported. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who doesn't break often with Biden, said the U.S. should't rule out making the transfer of the planes.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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