GOP members of Congress question aim of continued U.S. aid to Ukraine

Photo taken on Aug. 16, 2022 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

"Biden needs to understand that we are the USA not the US-ATM," Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert tweeted.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- As the Russia-Ukraine conflict is trending toward further escalation and the Joe Biden administration of the United States remains committed to providing continuous assistance to Kiev, Republicans on Capitol Hill have been doubtful of the administration's end goal - if there is one.

Projecting a bumpy road ahead for additional U.S. security and humanitarian aid to Ukraine if the Republican Party wins back the House in the upcoming midterm elections, The Hill in a Wednesday report quoted Scott Perry, GOP congressman representing Pennsylvania, as saying the Biden administration lacks a clear goal for arming Ukraine while problems at home remain to be tackled.

"We all want to help. At the same time, you know, we've got problems in our own country that remain unresolved, and we have no idea what the administration's plan is. Like, what's the end state? Where are we headed?" Perry, also chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, was quoted as saying. "Are our tax dollars being used wisely?"

On Twitter, Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, one of the current administration's most cynical critics, slammed Biden's request that Congress approve 13.7 billion dollars in additional aid for Ukraine. "Biden needs to understand that we are the USA not the US-ATM," she tweeted last month.

Photo posted by the U.S. Department of Defense on Aug. 23, 2022 shows munition packages bound for Ukraine are loaded at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, the United States. (Photo credit: Twitter account of the U.S. Department of Defense)

The United States provided an additional round of security assistance to Ukraine worth 625 million U.S. dollars earlier this month, bringing the total since Biden took office to over 17.5 billion dollars.

On Monday, Biden vowed in a statement that the United States will "stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes" and "provide the support necessary for Ukrainian forces to defend their country and their freedom." The statement was in response to Russia firing missiles to attack multiple Ukrainian cities on the same day in retaliation to the bombing of a bridge linking Russia's mainland and the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia accused Ukrainian authorities of plotting the explosion that caused the partial collapse of the bridge and killed three people.