Western New York Ultra Maga Congressmen Face Constituent Outrage
Even though the bill passed and has been signed into law, Rep. Nick Langworthy’s (NY-R23) and Rep. Claudine Tenney’s (NY-R24) recent “NO” vote on aid to Ukraine has been met with strong disappointment and opposition from Ukrainians leaders in Western New York and from prominent Republicans.
Emil Bandriwsky, president of the Dnipro Ukrainian Cultural Center said that Langworthy’s and Tenney’s “NO” vote against the aid package was “…just shocking to me”. Mark Houghton, CEO of the Ukrainian Welcome Foundation of Western New York and vice president of the Ukrainian Congress said, “I’m absolutely appalled…The whole community is appalled…They’re actually just kowtowing to Trump.” And Anthony H. Gioia, longtime Republican donor and former ambassador to Malta said, “It’s disgusting…It’s despicable.”
Trump Admires Dictators
The source of Langworthy’s and Tenney’s and also Elise Stefanik’s (NY-R21) “NO” vote on Ukraine aid is twice-impeached former President Trump. He has made no secret of his admiration for adversaries of the United States including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un. Trump has even said that Putin can do “whatever the hell he wants” (invade?, bomb?, nuclear attack?) to our NATO allies who don’t pay what Trump thinks they should pay for their country’s military defense.
Trump Pledges to Abandon Ukraine and Leave NATO
Trump is also reported to have told Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that he would “not give a penny” to Ukraine, knowing that the country “cannot stand on its own feet” and would fall to Russia. Aware of this, 112 Trump sycophants in Congress including four from the New York State delegation voted against the Ukrainian aid package in order to curry favor with Trump even though it was clear that the aid package would pass the House, the Senate and be signed into law.
Among the New York congressional delegation, ultra MAGA Republican Congressmen Langworthy, Stefanik and Tenney (said to have a “broken moral compass” by the Buffalo News editorial board for her mockery of the vicious assault onPaul Pelosi) all voted “NO. They certainly would not have voted “NO” had Trump supported aid to Ukraine.
MAGA Republicans Langworthy and Tenney Vote “NO” At Trump’s Direction
Langworthy wrote in his April 22, 2024 constituent newsletter, (here edited for brevity; editorial responses shown in brackets), “…I could not in good conscience vote for the $60 billion aid bill as it was crafted….This legislation included provisions beyond military assistance to include…other needs of Ukraine’s government employees.” [A functioning government is necessary for the Ukrainian military to defend their country against the Russian invasion. As someone who has never served in the military, Langworthy may not know this]. “…While far too many hardworking families are struggling to make ends meet and putting their groceries on their credit cards as a result of our government’s inflationary spending, the last thing we should be doing is paying the salary of a Ukrainian bureaucrat.”
Langworthy and Tenney Supported Tax Breaks for the Ultra-Rich
Langworthy fails to mention that the Trump tax breaks to the ultrawealthy including those to Langworthy’s own ultrawealthy donors are at least, in part, responsible for the economic situation he laments. “Our nation has already provided $113 billion to Ukraine in the last two years…” [along with contributions of over $93 billion from the European Union. “In light of the United States’ staggering $34.5 trillion debt” [$8.4 trillion (24%) from the four years of the Trump administration], “Congress has a duty to exercise responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars…” [apparently a concern only during Democratic administrations] “…fails to address the real concerns of everyday Americans, like the Biden Administration’s decision to allow an invasion of our southern border…”
Trump Blocked Border Legislation
Langworthy can’t help but pivot to a Republican talking point however irrelevant it is to the question of Ukrainian aid. The “invasion at the southern border” could be resolved but Republicans refuse to advance their own legislation because Trump wants to keep the border as a campaign issue. Whatever happened to Trump’s pledge to build a border wall that Mexico would pay for? Regardless of Republican efforts to stall border legislation, President Biden will effectively close the Southern border to immigrants through Executive Order] “When it comes to votes like these, my duty is to America first, and I will always have the needs of Western New York and the Southern Tier at the forefront of my mind…”[Langworthy fails to see or ignores the bigger picture because he never served in the military. If Russia succeeds in its invasion of Ukraine, it will be emboldened by this success and invade another neighboring country, possible a member of NATO such as Poland which would require the U. S. to defend its ally leading to a major conflict].
Tenney Demands U.S. Share Ukraine Strategy with Russia
Tenney explained her “NO” vote by demanding, “a strategic plan from the President outlining U.S. strategy in Ukraine”. Publicly revealing U.S. strategy in Ukraine would be of tremendous value to our enemies and support Putin’s “wait them out” strategy.
Stefanik was the only member of the House Republican leadership – she’s #3 as the House GOP Conference Chair – to vote “NO”. At the beginning of the Russian invasion in February, 2022 Stefanik said, “We must stand with democracies under assault. If peace is to prevail, the United States and NATO must respond with the only language Putin understands – strength.” In kowtowing to Trump as she seeks to become his vice presidential nominee, she and the rest of the far right Freedom Caucus has flip-flopped their earlier support.
Langworthy and Tenney “NO!” Votes Hurt American Workers
Langworthy, Stefanik and Tenney’s “NO” votes ignore the economic impact of aid to Ukraine in New York State. The Department of Defense calculates that the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and the Presidential Drawdown Replacement Obligations, mainly to replace expended munitions and restock the American military arsenal has a total value of $30.3 billion of which $776 million will be expended in New York State as well as $3.3 billion in supplemental funds of which $63 million is for New York State for a total of over $800 million. Langworthy, Stefanik and Tenney’s “NO’ votes are votes against jobs for New Yorkers and against boosting the New York State economy. One of the important jobs I expect from our congressional delegation is to “bring home the bacon” – direct federal funds to their district. In the case of aid to Ukraine, Langworthy, Stefanik and Tenney have turned their back on both their constituents of Ukrainian origin and workers to seek favor with the former president.
In spite of requests, Langworthy has refused to meet with Western New York Ukrainian leaders to discuss his “no” vote.