Representative Pramila Jayapal and other members of the House of Representatives hold a press conference ahead of the vote on the Inflation Reduction Act on August 12, 2022.
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Representative Pramila Jayapal and other members of the House of Representatives hold a press conference ahead of the vote on the Inflation Reduction Act on August 12, 2022.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty
A day after members of the House sent a letter to President Biden urging him to change his approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the group abruptly changed course amid protests from Democratic lawmakers. fiercely against.
Congressman Pramila Jayapal, chair of the caucus, said: in a statement on Tuesday.
The face-off comes after frustrated Democratic lawmakers took to social media to give their explanations of the LettersOriginally drafted and signed by 30 members this summer, was uncirculated prior to Monday’s public release.
Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., tweeted that she signed the letter at the end of June, but “won’t sign today.”
Timing in diplomacy is everything.
I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then. I won’t sign it today.
We must continue to support Ukraine economically and militarily to give them the leverage they need to end this war. https://t.co/jEJlTK1hJI
– Congressman Sara Jacobs (@RepSaraJacobs) October 25, 2022
“Time in diplomacy is everything,” Jacobs wrote. “I signed this letter on June 30, but a lot has changed since then. I won’t sign it today.” “We must continue to support Ukraine economically and militarily to give them the leverage they need to end this war.”
Representative Mark Pocan, D-Wis., a former leader of the radical caucus, tweeted that he “didn’t know” why the letter was released.
I’ll listen to you. First, this was written in July and I don’t know why it’s gone now. Bad timing. Second, it is trying to achieve a ceasefire and diplomacy while others are drumming, not criticizing Biden. Third, I have supported the efforts and will continue. Over-analyzed by some.
– Mark Pocan (@MarkPocan) October 25, 2022
Representative Mark Takano, D-Calif., another signatory who also chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a statement. statement that “only the Ukrainians have the right to determine the terms by which this war ends.”
In Tuesday’s reversal, Jayapal claimed responsibility for the release of the letter, noting that it was “drafted a few months ago” and “unfortunately released without checking by staff.”
Jayapal added that House Progressives’ message is “being matched” with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Recent comments suggested that Republicans could withdraw funding to Ukraine if they took back the House of Representatives in November.
“The closeness of these statements creates an unfortunate appearance that the Democrats, who have strongly and unanimously supported and voted for every package of military, strategic and economic assistance to the Ukrainians, somehow affiliated with Republicans, who are trying to pull the Americans in. support for President Zelensky and Ukrainian forces,” Jayapal wrote, emphasizing: “Nothing could be further. truth. ”
In the letter, House progressives called on Biden to push for direct diplomatic relations with Russia, calling on the president to “combine the military and economic assistance that the United States has provided to Ukraine with an active diplomatic impetus, redoubled efforts to find a realistic framework for a ceasefire.”
