The GOP's Battle Over Ukraine Aid

Olus, House Dems introduce $28 million bill to ease baby formula shortage ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [The Fisc](   By Yuval Rosenberg and Michael Rainey Happy Tuesday! It’s primary day in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Oregon and voters are casting ballots in some of the most consequential races of the year. Here’s what else is going on: (Reuters) Quote of the Day: President Biden in Buffalo "What happened here is simple and straightforward: terrorism. Terrorism. Domestic terrorism. Violence inflicted in the service of hate and the vicious thirst for power that defines one group of people being inherently inferior to any other group. A hate that, through the media and politics, the internet, has radicalized angry, alienated, lost and isolated individuals into falsely believing that they will be replaced. That’s the word. Replaced by the other. By people who don’t look like them and who are therefore, in the perverse ideology that they possess and are being fed, lesser beings. I and all of you reject the lie. I call on all Americans to reject the lie, and I condemn those who spread the lie for power, political gain and for profit." – President Biden, in an emotional [speech]( Tuesday from Buffalo, New York, where a teenaged gunman espousing a white supremacist ideology allegedly killed 10 people on Saturday. House Dems Introduce $28 Million Bill to Ease Baby Formula Shortage House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) prepared a $28 million supplemental funding bill Tuesday that would help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration address a shortage of infant formula around the country. The [legislation]( would provide the FDA "with the resources to prevent fraudulent products from being placed on shelves and to help acquire better data on the infant formula marketplace," the committee said in a [press release](. It would also expand the workforce focused on formula at the FDA, as well as the inspection staff. The shortage results in part from quality control issues at a manufacturing facility owned by Abbott Nutrition. The largest supplier in a market dominated by just a handful of firms, Abbott closed the facility in February following the deaths of two infants from rare bacterial infections, resulting in a national shortage of infant formula. Abbott maintains that its formula was not responsible for the deaths. "While we know we have more work to do to get to the bottom of serious safety concerns at an Abbott facility and the FDA's failure to address them with any sense of urgency, this bill is the first step to help restock shelves and end this shortage," DeLauro said in a statement. Calling the infant deaths "sinful," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters Tuesday that indictments were possible, but provided no details. Pelosi also said that House Democrats will put forth a second bill that would ease rules in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to allow for a wider range of purchases on an emergency basis. What’s next: The first legislative effort to address the infant formula shortage, the bill is on track for a vote in the House Thursday. But it faces questions about how effective it would be in combating the formula shortage. It also faces a high hurdle in the Senate, where Republicans are expected to oppose it if it makes it through the House. Senate Advances $40 Billion Ukraine Aid Bill; 11 Republicans Vote ‘No’ The Senate voted 81-11 Monday to advance a nearly $40 billion aid package to Ukraine that was delayed last week by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). The procedural vote to end debate on the bill sets up a final vote later this week, likely Thursday, the date identified by Biden administration officials as the deadline to avoid a lapse in U.S assistance to Ukraine. But 11 Republicans voted "no," joining 57 House Republicans who opposed the measure in that chamber last week. That opposition among some GOP lawmakers comes as former President Donald Trump also came out against the aid on Friday. "The Democrats are sending another $40 billion to Ukraine, yet America’s parents are struggling to even feed their children," Trump said in a statement issued through his Save America PAC. "There is a massive formula shortage, but no one is talking about it—it is a national disgrace." Isolationism or nationalism? While the Ukraine aid package still has more than enough support to reach President Joe Biden’s desk, Monday’s vote signals mounting opposition to the funding among some GOP — and an increased willingness to buck Republican leadership on the issue, creating a split within the party. "Their case against spending on Ukraine’s battle against Russia is all about redirecting taxpayer money to domestic problems — but it’s alarming fellow Republicans who see it as a flawed argument and part of a disturbing trend toward isolationism," Politico’s Andrew Desiderio [reports](. Hawley defended his vote as nationalism rather than isolationism. "Spending $40 billion on Ukraine aid - more than three times what all of Europe has spent combined - is not in America’s interests. It neglects priorities at home (the border), allows Europe to freeload, short changes critical interests abroad and comes w/ no meaningful oversight," he tweeted Monday evening. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) visited Ukraine this weekend and made clear he firmly supports the aid. "There have always been isolationist voices in the Republican Party," McConnell [said]( Sunday. "I think one of the lessons we learned in World War II is not standing up to aggression early is a huge mistake." Why it matters: "[T]he mounting unease in Republican ranks with the enormous bill, once unthinkable, reflects how a significant segment of the party’s foreign policy shifted in lock step with Mr. Trump’s ‘America First’ credo — and how it has retained a foothold even in the face of a brutal military campaign defined by programmatic violence against civilians," writes Catie Edmondson of [The New York Times](. White House Makes More Free Covid Tests Available As the number of infections rises around the country, the Biden administration is making another round of free Covid tests available through CovidTests.gov. Households can order up to eight at-home tests, which will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. More than 70 million households have ordered tests so far, accounting for more than half of the households in the country, and about 350 million tests have been delivered. In a [fact sheet]( the White House said the tests were acquired with funds provided by the American Rescue Plan. It also called on Congress to provide more funding to maintain the country’s testing capabilities. --------------------------------------------------------------- Send your feedback to yrosenberg@thefiscaltimes.com. And please encourage your friends to [sign up here]( for their own copy of this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- News - [House Democrats Release $28 Million Aid Bill to Address Formula Shortage]( – New York Times - [Ukraine Is Now the Top Recipient of U.S. Military Aid. Here’s How It Surpassed Even Israel and Egypt]( – Washington Post - [The Staggering Amount of US Military Aid to Ukraine, Explained in One Chart]( – Vox - [McConnell Takes On Isolationist Wing of G.O.P. in Fight for Ukraine Aid]( – New York Times - [Ukraine Aid Splinters the GOP]( – Politico - [Yellen Calls on Europe to Boost Ukraine Aid]( – New York Times - [Powell Says Fed Has Resolve to Bring U.S. Inflation Down]( – Wall Street Journal - [How Big Is the Latest U.S. Coronavirus Wave? No One Really Knows]( – Washington Post - [Restaurant Bill Backers Battle Deficit Concerns, Knowledge Gap]( – Roll Call - [Republicans Split on Adding Semiconductor Tax Breaks to Competition Bill]( – Roll Call - [IRS, Reversing Course, Tees Up Potential Tax Fight With Multinational Companies]( – Wall Street Journal - [Gas Prices Top $4 in Every U.S. State for the First Time]( – CBS News - [Poor Countries Face a Mounting Catastrophe Fueled by Inflation and Debt]( – New York Times - [The F.D.A. Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech Boosters for Children Ages 5 to 11]( – New York Times Views and Analysis - [Democrats Need More Tough Love on Their Misguided Economic Policies]( – Catherine Rampell, Washington Post - [Bezos, Not Biden, Is Right on Taxes and Inflation]( – Karl W. Smith, Bloomberg - [Reasons for Rising Food Prices Go Beyond Pandemic and War]( – Art Cullen, Washington Post - [The Government Gave Out Bad Loans. Students Deserve a Bailout]( – Charlie Eaton, Amber Villalobos and Frederick Wherry, New York Times - [Biden’s 3 Choices on Student Loans]( – Christian Paz, Vox - [From Voodoo to MAGA to Buffalo]( – Paul Krugman, New York Times - [How ‘Nudge Economics’ Lets Companies Pass the Buck]( – Helaine Olen, Washington Post - [These Two Immediate Steps Will Help Alleviate the Formula Shortage]( – Suraj Patel, New York Times Copyright © 2020 The Fiscal Times, All rights reserved. You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed at our website or through Facebook. The Fiscal Times, 399 Park Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10022, United States Want to change how you receive these emails? [Update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe](