Rick Scott, Marco Rubio Say Biden Cannot Hold Disaster Relief ‘Hostage’ for Ukraine Aid

Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have called on the Senate to remove Ukraine aid from proposed disaster relief funding.

President Joe Biden has asked for a supplemental spending package that would spend more than $40 billion, $24 billion of which would go to military and economic aid to Ukraine.

Scott and Rubio, who represent the Sunshine State, which has been battered by Hurricane Idalia, have said that Congress should not play games with disaster relief by injecting Ukraine aid into the political calculus of a supplemental spending package.

Instead, Scott called on the Senate to pass his Federal Disaster Responsibility Act. He said in a statement in late August:

Unfortunately, while I’ve spent the months leading up to this storm fighting to make sure the federal government shows up, President Biden and politicians in Washington have been playing games with FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund and insisting that this critical domestic aid be tied to foreign aid for Ukraine. We’ve had enough with Washington playing politics and demand that Congress does what’s right for American families, starting with ensuring our federal government has all the resources it needs to show up after disasters, now and in the future. The moment the Senate reconvenes next week I will be introducing this bill and demanding an immediate vote.

In September, when he met with Biden in Florida, he said he told Biden that “we can’t let Washington play games with disaster relief funds or make helping Americans contingent on helping foreign causes.”

He continued:

Since Hurricane #Idalia devastated the Big Bend as a major Cat 3 storm earlier this week, I’ve been visiting impacted communities to meet with local & state officials & hear what they need from the federal government.

Floridians are resilient, but recovery doesn’t fall just on these families – it’s an all hands on deck operation that requires the federal government to show up today, tomorrow and every day until the job is done.

He added, “I’ll be fighting like hell to get this bill passed and I urged President Biden to put Floridians and all Americans first by doing the same.”

I’ll be fighting like hell to get this bill passed and I urged President Biden to put Floridians and all Americans first by doing the same.

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) September 2, 2023

Rubio said that Biden is holding Floridians and Americans “hostage” by tying disaster relief to foreign military aid.

Rubio explained in an August statement:

President Biden owes Americans an explanation of his strategy, something he’s refused to do since Putin invaded Ukraine. We’ve seen incredible bravery by the Ukrainians over the last 18 months, but we’ve also seen U.S. stockpiles dwindle, European countries slow walk critical supplies, and China grow more aggressive towards the U.S. and our national interests. We cannot give a blank check to continue the status quo.

“While the Biden Administration works with my colleagues in the House on what can actually pass, I urge prompt consideration of legislation to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund,” he added.

Congress will soon return from its August recess, when it will consider if it will provide Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars more in taxpayer-provided aid.

A Wall Street Journal poll found that 52 percent of voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of Ukraine.

The New York Times has started to slowly acknowledge the endemic level of corruption in Ukraine as officials have admitted that funding for military contracts has “vanished.”

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.