Vance frets over Speaker Johnson's 'concerning' Ukraine remarks

Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance has expressed concerns over remarks from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a longtime opponent of Ukraine aid, suggesting he has become open to provide Kyiv with more war funding.

Johnson has largely opposed efforts to supply Ukraine's military amid the ongoing Russian invasion, though since becoming speaker, he has hinted that the lower chamber may approve some funding in the end. 

"To his great credit, the new speaker has been a stalwart on the Ukraine issue—voting consistently against an endless conflict with no plan from the Biden administration," Vance said on Friday. "It’s concerning to see him change his tune so quickly after being elevated to this role."

Johnson, in a Thursday interview on Fox News, stated that "we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine, because I don’t believe it would stop there, and it would probably encourage and empower China to perhaps make a move on Taiwan. We have these concerns."

He did, however, assert that the chamber had an obligation to spend taxpayer dollars responsibly.

"We’re not going to abandon them. But we have a responsibility, a stewardship responsibility, over the precious treasure of the American people. And we have to make sure that the White House is providing the people with some accountability for the dollars," he continued.

President Joe Biden has put forward a funding request including $61 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel. Vance, for his part, joined with other Senate Republicans on Thursday to introduce a bill to solely fund Israel amid its conflict with Hamas.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.