When the House approved billions in foreign aid for Ukraine and other U.S. allies on Saturday, U.S. Rep. Bill Keating had the bold idea to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a copy of the tally sheet.
Keating, who represents Massachusetts’ 9th District, traveled to Ukraine on Monday and handed Zelenskyy a copy of the official tally of the vote authorizing crucial military aid for the nation's defense against Russia's invasion that has persisted for more than two years.
“I was on the House floor when the vote finally, finally happened,” Keating said on Boston Public Radio Friday. “Admittedly, I was ecstatic and relieved.
“[Zelenskyy] was delighted, as I was, to just see the concrete tally of 311 members of a very divided House — 73% of the House — supporting it,” he added.
The Massachusetts congressman said the vote was significant and bipartisan, as Democrats and Republicans finally came to an agreement after months of struggle. He lamented the delay in bringing the issue to the House floor.
“The delay is unconscionable,” he said. “Over the last several weeks, given these delays, the soldiers ... fighting in Ukraine, they were outmanned, outgunned. They didn’t have ammunition. They didn’t have air cover. And they had to cede back positions where themselves and colleagues fought desperately, just a year ago, to reclaim from Russia.”
Keating said the Ukrainians have been “remarkably courageous and determined” given the circumstances and emphasized the need to provide them with the necessary support to defend themselves.
“All you have to do is give them a fighting chance,” he said.
Addressing the delay, Keating criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“[Johnson] had to go down and kiss the ring in Mar-a-Lago with Donald Trump before doing [the vote],” the Massachusetts congressman said. “But it should have been done much sooner.”
Keating said that he would not vote to keep Johnson in place if motion to vacate were to occur. Another representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene, has threatened to oust the speaker, just as Speaker Kevin McCarthy was last October. But Keating also said he does not believe that the vote will come to pass at all after the “spectacle” of McCarthy’s vacating as House speaker.
Keating argued that the stakes extended beyond Ukraine, warning of the potential domino effect of Russian aggression on NATO countries.
“[Putin’s] made it very clear and you have to listen to what he says and believe him now, that his next steps are Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, all NATO countries,” Keating said.
Following the Senate's overwhelming approval of the aid package, President Joe Biden signed it into law on Wednesday.
