President Joe Biden used Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s death Friday to bash House Republicans who have yet to pass a package that would provide funding for Ukraine.
Russian prison services announced Navalny’s death Friday, who said that the opposition leader felt ill after a short walk and then fell unconscious. Biden addressed the death in an unexpected address, saying that the tragedy reminds Americans of the “stakes of this moment” as Ukraine fights its war against Russia. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Biden Promised ‘Devastating’ Consequences For Navalny’s Death During 2021 Meeting With Putin)
“There was a bipartisan Senate vote that passed overwhelmingly in the United States Senate to fund Ukraine,” Biden said in his address. “Now, as I have said before, and I mean this in a literal sense, history is watching. History is watching the House of Representatives. A failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten. It is going to go down in the pages of history, it really is. It’s consequential. And the clock is ticking.”
Following his address, Biden was asked if he could do anything to get aid to Ukrainians without the House passing the supplement package.
“No, but it is about time they step up, don’t you think? Instead of going on a two-week vacation,” Biden said.
“Two weeks. They’re walking away. Two weeks,” Biden said, raising his voice. “What are they thinking? My God. This is bizarre. And it’s just reinforcing all of the concern and almost, I won’t say panic, but real concern about the United States being a reliable ally. This is outrageous.”
The White House criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday for beginning House recess without voting on the supplemental package that would send a total of $95 billion in military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Over the last several weeks, U.S. lawmakers have continued to negotiate a bigger supplemental package that would send funds to Ukraine, Israel and the nation’s border crisis.
Biden added that Putin was to blame for Navalny’s death if the reports of his passing were true. The president indicated that he has no reason to believe the reports of Navalny’s death were false.
“But make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. Putin is responsible. What has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality. No one should be fooled,” Biden said.
In 2021, Biden promised that if Navalny were to die in prison, Russia would face serious consequences.