Democrat says Putin ‘celebrating’ Congress going home without passing Ukraine aid

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said Russian President Vladimir Putin is “celebrating” as Congress goes home for its holiday break without passing aid for Ukraine.

“Congress is heading home without sending additional aid to Ukraine. Right now, Putin is celebrating,” Quigley said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

He added: “Once we return in January, we must ensure Ukraine has what it needs to win this war.”

The House adjourned for the holiday break Thursday after advancing a $886 billion Pentagon policy and funding package.

In a speech on the House floor Thursday, Quigley said Putin will be patient in his war against Ukraine.

“He has the time that Ukraine, and apparently we, lack,” he said. “But Congress has been wasting that time. Time we should have spent passing a supplemental package.”

The Illinois Democrat continued, saying Congress’s dysfunction “has reared its ugly head” and that lawmakers have fumbled several opportunities to pass funding.

Aid for Ukraine has been a contested issue for Republicans, with many saying they won’t support sending money abroad without more measures taken to secure the U.S. southern border.

Quigley criticized them, arguing the U.S. can support Israel, Ukraine and a stronger border.

“In the words of NATO Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg, we have the capability and the strength to address different challenges,” he said in his speech. “At the same time, we don’t have the luxury of choosing only one threat and one challenge.”

The Senate adjourned for the weekend Thursday and announced it would return Monday with the hopes of getting a deal for the border that would allow lawmakers to press onward with more aid for Ukraine before Christmas.

Since the House adjourned until the new year, even if the Senate passes the aid deal, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would have to call members back to vote during the break for it to pass before 2024.