Hern, Lankford demand military aid for Ukraine, then vote against it

Listen to this article here

Sign-Up for a free subscription to The Black Wall Street Times‘ daily newsletter, Black Editors’ Edition (BEE) – our curated news selections & opinions by us for you.

In an almost immediate about face, Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) were two of 100 Republicans to vote against sending aid to Ukraine. They were the only two members of Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation to vote not to send support to the war-torn nation.

Just a day before voting against the aid package, Lankford tweeted about the “need to equip Ukraine” with military support. Lankford offered no explanation of his vote, but did go on to rail against the long-defunct Iran Nuclear Deal.

It’s a similar story with Representative Kevin Hern. Recently, Hern put out a Tweet to President Zelenskyy saying “The United States of America stands with Ukraine”.  Six days prior, he voted to block more than $13 billion in aid to the nation.

Like Lankford, Hern has not issued a clear public statement explaining his opposition to the Ukraine aid package.

Despite opposition, US overwhelmingly passes bi-partisan aid package for Ukraine

Even as some Republicans like Hern, Lankford and others voted against the budget bill sending aid to Ukraine, the measure passed with bi-partisan support in both the House and Senate.

Part of a larger spending package, Congress agreed to send Ukraine more than $13 billion in aid.

Of the over $13 billion dollars, $6.5 billion will go through the Department of Defense to send weapons and resources to the country. An additional $4 billion will provide emergency humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees. The United States also sent $1.8 to help shore up the Ukrainian economy amid the Russian attack.

Apart from this enhanced Ukraine aid package, President Biden has worked to provide another $2 billion in resources to Ukrainians since taking office.

On Wednesday, following President Zelenskyy’s address to the US Congress, Biden announced an additional $800 million in aid.

According to the White House, that additional aid to Ukraine will include 800 Stinger anti-aircraft weapons, 100 grenade launchers and more.

The support comes as Putin continues to target civilian centers, a violation of international law which as the potential to draw the entire world into the conflict.