NC reps feature prominently in congressional outreach to Ukraine, Israel
Members of North Carolina's congressional delegation have taken recent trips to visit Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as their countries wait on whether Congress will authorize more military aid.
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Two North Carolina congressmen met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, spoke with soldiers and civilians, and pledged to keep working in Congress to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-Wake) and Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) were part of a bipartisan delegation of United States representatives and senators from all over the country who toured the war-torn nation this weekend. The two North Carolinians featured prominently in photos Zelenskyy posted on social media of the meeting, as he described Ukraine’s “vital need” for continued military and financial support from the U.S. as Russia’s invasion of the country has now stretched on more than two years, marked by heavy casualties on both sides.
“I am grateful to everyone in the United States, to every American heart that, like ours in Ukraine, refuses to succumb to evil and cherishes life,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Nickel wrote in a statement after he returned stateside that Congress must get more aid to Ukraine in a manner of weeks.
“Everything I saw and heard firsthand on this trip underscored how urgently Congress must act to pass a supplemental aid package for Ukraine before the end of April,” Nickel said. “Failure to act will hand Ukraine to Russia and go down as one of the greatest failures of American foreign policy.”
Zelenkyy’s push to invite more American politicians to Ukraine, and from both political parties, underscores that the 2024 elections in America will have high stakes in eastern Europe, too.
Democratic President Joe Biden has been vocal in pushing for more funding for Ukraine, agreeing to make concessions to Republicans on border security and immigration issues in exchange for their support of new funding for Ukraine against Russia, Israel against Hamas and Taiwan against China. But Republicans scuttled the deal under president from former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee to run against Biden again this year.
Congress is set to return this week, and Ukraine aid is expected to be a top priority in the divided legislative branch, where Democrats control the Senate and Republicans control the House of Representatives, each by razor-thin margins.
And while Democrats are largely supportive of continued funding for Ukraine, following Biden’s lead, Republicans are more split on the issue due to Trump’s stance. Edwards’ own statement on his meeting with Zelenskyy appeared to tacitly acknowledge the tricky line GOP politicians have to walk on the issue. Unlike Nickel, he included no photo of himself with Zelenskyy. He instead showed a photo of U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Jerry Baird of the 82nd Airborne Division, whom Edwards met with in Poland on Ukraine’s border.
And while Edwards’ statement blasted Putin as “a card-carrying KGB Marxist murderer with no regard for human life,” it also didn’t go as far as Nickel’s did in calling for aid to be approved by the end of the month.
“Now is not the time for America to hide in isolationism, as Putin is trying to manipulate us to do,” Edwards wrote. “I look forward in the upcoming days to sharing what I saw and heard on the ground in Ukraine, and to work with my House colleagues on how America can responsibly participate in stopping Vladimir Putin.”
It’s not the only way North Carolina leaders are getting involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. North Carolina has for decades had a formal relationship with Moldova, a former Soviet republic that borders Ukraine. Last month North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall was in Moldova, meeting with that country’s president as she was awarded Moldova’s highest civilian honor. Marshal showed the medal off to Gov. Roy Cooper and other officials last week, pushing for continued support for Ukraine.
Israel visit
Hundreds of miles south of Kiev, two other of North Carolina’s members of Congress recently went on a similar diplomatic trip: U.S. Reps. Kathy Manning, who represents a Triad-area district, and Valerie Foushee, who represents a Triangle-area district, visited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Democrats have had to walk a tightrope on the issue as Israel faces growing criticism in the U.S. and internationally for the high number of civilian casualties in its military campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian authorities say Israel has killed more than 33,000 people in Gaza, including more than 13,000 children.
Young Democrats — seen as crucial to progressive candidates in North Carolina — have pushed for Democratic members of congress to soften their positions on Israel in support of Palestinian civilians. Doing so could hurt candidates’ positions with moderate Republicans or pro-Israeli Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
In a statement after their meeting, Foushee said Israel has a right to defend itself but called on her colleagues in Congress to do more to get aid to Gaza — echoing comments Biden made in Raleigh last month.
“While the United States and the global community must continue to condemn the abhorrent actions of Hamas, Israel must uphold their promises to abide by international humanitarian law and defend herself without targeting innocent civilians as a part of any military campaign,” Foushee said in the statement. “Additionally, the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza must be urgently addressed, and we must find a way to deliver life-saving support to the millions of conflict-afflicted civilians who are in need of clean water, food, medicine, and other essential aid.”
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