Progressive Caucus withdraws letter on Ukraine strategy amid blowback
Top House progressives backed off their position questioning President Biden’s Ukraine policy on Tuesday afternoon, withdrawing a letter released Monday that perplexed and angered many Democrats.
“The Congressional Progressive Caucus hereby withdraws its recent letter to the White House regarding Ukraine,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the caucus chairwoman, wrote in a statement, representing a stunning shift in their call for a diplomatic push to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The letter was drafted several months ago, but unfortunately was released by staff without vetting. As Chair of the Caucus, I accept responsibility for this,” Jayapal wrote. “Because of the timing, our message is being conflated by some as being equivalent to the recent statement by Republican Leader McCarthy threatening an end to aid to Ukraine if Republicans take over.”
The Hill reported earlier on Tuesday that the letter was written over the summer and released this week without consideration of the timing two weeks ahead of midterm elections.
Jayapal said that her caucus’ stance towards the Biden administration’s approach to the war unintentionally created the perception that they were aligned with “Republicans who seek to pull the plug on American support for President Zelensky and the Ukrainian forces.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” she added. “Every war ends with diplomacy, and this one will too after Ukrainian victory. The letter sent yesterday, although restating that basic principle, has been conflated with GOP opposition to support for the Ukrainians’ just defense of their national sovereignty. As such, it is a distraction at this time and we withdraw the letter.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was widely criticized over an interview published last week in which he said a GOP majority would not give a “blank check” to Ukraine, indicating it would instead focus on relieving economic pain at home.
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