WASHINGTON: The White House escalated its criticism of Republican US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday (Feb 23), accusing him of benefitting Iran and Russia by not putting a national security bill that gives aid to Ukraine up for a vote.
Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, six sources told Reuters this week, deepening the military cooperation between the two US-sanctioned countries.
Iran is “actively enabling Russia’s war in Ukraine and its attacks against Ukrainian cities”, deputy press secretary and senior communications adviser Andrew Bates said in a memo viewed by Reuters that will be distributed publicly Friday.
“President Biden is standing up to Iran. But where is Speaker Johnson’s supposed commitment not to ‘appease Iran’ in all this? Nowhere. Instead, his inaction is benefiting Putin and the Ayatollah,” the memo says.
The Senate last week approved a US$95 billion bill providing assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan by an overwhelming 70-30 vote, with 22 Republicans joining most Democrats in voting in favour.
But Johnson sent the House home for a two-week recess without bringing the measure up for a vote, saying: “We’re not going to be forced into action by the Senate”.
Many senators and White House officials believe the bill would pass the House with bipartisan support if Johnson would allow the chamber to vote.
Johnson says any package of international military and humanitarian assistance must also include measures to address security at the US border with Mexico after Republicans blocked a version of the bill that provided for the biggest overhaul of US immigration policy in decades.
A spokesman for the speaker on Friday said the administration was guilty of the very thing it accused Johnson of – aiding Iran and Russia.
“The Biden administration has removed Iranian proxies from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, relaxed sanctions on Iranian oil exports, telegraphed an underwhelming military response to the Houthi attack that claimed the lives of three US soldiers … ” he said by email.
