Rep. Jeff Van Drew has now established himself as Vladimir Putin’s best friend in New Jersey, the lone member of our Congressional delegation who just voted to cut off all military aid for Ukraine.
His support for the world’s most aggressive dictator is a new low, even for Van Drew, an opportunist whose convictions flip with the latest political breeze. In a just world, he would be sent to the front line to explain himself to the Ukrainian troops as they bury their dead friends. They’ve been trying to hold their lines, even as the political games in Washington put them at a grave disadvantage, able to fire just one artillery shell for every five the Russians fire at them.
Putin’s army has rushed to take advantage over the last six months, forcing Ukraine to retreat and taking another 140 square miles of territory. At the same time, Russian missiles have mercilessly pounded power plants across Ukraine, knowing that Ukraine’s supply of American air defense munitions are depleted as well. The lost territory, the lost lives, and the suffering of civilians in recent months were a consequence of obstructionism from Republicans like Van Drew.
It is farcical that Speaker Mike Johnson is winning praise for finally allowing a vote on Ukraine funding, a sign of just how low the bar has fallen in these dysfunctional times.
It’s been clear for months that the House would approve the funding if Johnson permitted a vote, given the unanimous Democratic support for Ukraine aid. He delayed it to appease the extremists in his own party, and to save his job as Speaker. Even he seemed to acknowledge that calculus when he spoke to reporters at the Capitol about this vote.
“I could make a selfish decision and do something that’s different,” he said. “But I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing. I believe providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important.”
So, he suddenly had a revelation about the merits of Ukraine aid? Please. The stakes have been obvious for months. Johnson is just making another political calculation. He allowed the vote only after Democrats reportedly assured him that they would protect his job if the MAGA extremists tried to remove him as Speaker.
As Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts put it: “Guess what, Speaker Johnson? You don’t get an award around here for simply doing your damn job. President Biden told us over six months ago that Ukraine needed us. What did House Republicans do? Nothing.”
Rep. Tom Kean Jr. voted in favor of the Ukraine bill, as expected, but he, too, has been absent for these six months. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the subcommittee dealing with Europe, his voice might have mattered. But he didn’t call a single meeting about the consequences of this delay, he made no public statements about it, and he declined to join fellow Republicans who signed petitions seeking to force a vote over Johnson’s objections. He was a lap dog to the party leadership, quiet and obedient as always.
The vote to help Ukraine was 311-112, but don’t be reassured by that large margin. A majority of Republicans joined Van Drew and opposed it. If Donald Trump wins the White House, he will almost surely cut aid and leave Ukraine defenseless. Even if Biden wins, Republicans could disrupt the flow of aid again if the election leaves them in control of the House or Senate.
So, while this vote is welcome, it could prove to be only temporary relief from the new strain of isolationism in the Republican Party. If Ronald Reagan was still alive, he would try to shake them from their stupor, to remind them that the American-led world order has kept tyrants in check and allowed democracies to flourish.
As for Van Drew, he not only voted against the aid package that passed, he joined a smaller group of MAGA partisans to support a more radical bill sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene that would have cut off every penny of existing aid.
He won’t discuss either bill, but the conclusion is inescapable: Putin and Van Drew -- Perfect Together.
More: Tom Moran columns
Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or (973) 986-6951. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
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