Marjorie Taylor Greene, US Republican Congresswoman, introduced several amendments to the latest bill on aid to Ukraine, echoing Russian propaganda narratives about “biolabs in Ukraine” and “persecution of Christians in Ukraine.”
These amendments are part of Greene’s ongoing opposition to providing further funding to Ukraine in its war against Russia. At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underlined that Ukraine may face defeat without US military support.
Specifically, Greene proposed prohibiting funding for Ukraine’s assistance “until Ukraine holds free and fair elections,” “until Ukraine stops persecuting Christians,” and “until Ukraine closes all bio-laboratories.”
The allegation of the existence of secret “biolabs” in Ukraine is a long-standing Russian propaganda conspiracy theory that, according to the EU East Stratcom task force, is also being picked up by Chinese disinformation networks.
Meanwhile, Greene’s reference to the “persecution of Christians” is a popular narrative in Republican circles, as Ukraine had since late 2023 sought to outlaw the Moscow-backed Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which is accused of promoting “Russian world” ideology and maintaining its subordination to the Russian Orthodox Church. Several priests of this church are facing legal action, while the church maintains to have severed its connection to Russia – a claim challenged by a Ukrainian expert committee.
However, persecution of Christians as a religion is nowhere to be seen in Ukraine, while a genuine crackdown on denominations not subordinated to the Kremlin is ongoing on Russian-occupied territory.
Additionally, Greene suggested that all US Congress members who vote for this bill should be mobilized into the Ukrainian military.
“I mean, if you want to fund the war, why don’t you go fight in it. Show your support for Ukraine,” Greene wrote on X.
Among her other amendments to this bill are proposals to redirect funds to victims of fires in Hawaii, victims of the train derailment in East Palestine, and to the Attorney General’s office to initiate mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
US aid to Ukraine proposed by Johnson
Earlier, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he is determined to advance the foreign aid bill on 20 April, including nearly $61 billion for Ukraine, despite opposition from GOP hardliners, who have blocked the progress of the foreign aid package for over six months.
President Joe Biden has expressed his willingness to sign the proposed funding packages for Israel and Ukraine if they pass both the House and the Senate.
Johnson, however, is facing pressure from conservative Republican representatives, including Greene, who are threatening to oust him from his position if he proceeds with the vote on the foreign aid.
Greene also stated that Johnson does not have the support of the Republican conference and will not be re-elected as Speaker in the next Congress, regardless of the outcome of the vote, according to Newsweek.
On 17 April, Fox News published an opinion column by Liz Peek called “Marjorie Taylor Greene is an idiot. She is trying to wreck the GOP,” where she criticizes Greene for public outbursts and initiating conflicts with fellow Republicans.
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