Why the White House Should Keep Congress in Session As Long As Possible
Dictators Don’t Take Recesses. Why Should This Congress?
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First, here is a lesson from 2008 on why maintaining primary campaign infrastructure makes a difference in the general election. It is a lesson the Biden campaign should really take note of. Don’t forget the downballot either:
But onto the main point. In recent news, Capitol Hill once again passed the buck. This time, it was on a foreign aid package it was supposed to pass months ago. First, Trump’s acolytes sabotaged a bipartisan immigration deal made mostly on their own terms. Now they left on a two-week recess without passing the foreign aid for Ukraine or Taiwan.
Are you kidding me?
Earth to the GOP leaders in both chambers who punted on this foreign aid package. Dictators do not take breaks. Putin is not on a recess. His government regime just assassinated Alexei Navalny, and his military is gaining ground in Eastern Ukraine. Russia is even building a nuclear satellite for outer space. Yet the best this Government Obstruction Party can do is go on a recess? Just like they did in last year’s government funding battle, right before Kevin McCarthy’s ouster.
I guess we should forget about Ukraine, and the other conflicts on the horizon like Taiwan. Forget about the next government funding plans ahead. Let us just drop the ball and kick the can down the road once more. Might as well all take a trip to Trump’s golf courses while we are at it.
I only wish normal, hardworking people could get as many breaks as the GOP obstructionists on Capitol Hill do. This is exactly what people most loath about Washington DC. People who are somehow incapable of doing even the bare minimum to “earn” their salaries.
The stakes could not be higher. Ukraine is losing ground, and Taiwan is bracing for an attack in the years to come. We have an opportunity to define a concrete foreign policy fair for everyone. One where endless war and conflict is not the norm—as was the case in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have an opportunity to be a Good Neighbor and a reliable ally instead of the hated “world policeman.” We can help create a world where human rights are respected, and where we still support our allies in democracy over our enemies. And we can firmly repudiate Vladimir Putin and his murderous totalitarian regime.
Ukraine is worth supporting. Defense spending has never been more effective. Ukraine has fought Russia tooth-and-nail. Not one American soldier has been put at risk. It is a model for defending against a foreign aggressor, and it will be a model for Taiwan if it ever faces an invasion from China. Russia is only winning because Ukraine is losing support for its right to self-defense. Ukraine should be rewarded in its unrelenting fight for liberation, and not punished by extreme right-wing isolationists and appeasers.
The Biden White House should call in a special session of Congress to resolve the foreign aid dispute, and lawmakers should not be allowed to go on break until their jobs are done. If it takes suspending upcoming recesses, sending a discharge petition through the House, or personally bringing the Zelenskyys and Navalnys to lobby Capitol Hill to get the best aid package possible, it should be done for our national security. House Republicans does not deserve more vacations.
For all the things Capitol Hill has not done, it should at least be able to support our allies over our adversaries. It is just common sense.
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