Top military officer pushes U.S. jobs angle for Ukraine aid

— As they stood before massive rocket launchers built in part by their Arkansas constituents, Republican lawmakers were getting an unambiguous message Thursday from America’s top military officer: A Ukraine aid package that’s stalled in Congress will not only help in the fight against Russia, but also support jobs in their districts.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff doesn’t normally fly around the United States with members of Congress. But Gen. C.Q. Brown’s trip was part of the Pentagon’s full-court press to get the House to move forward on a $95 billion foreign aid package that’s key to getting critical munitions flowing to Kyiv again.

Brown’s travel companions included both supporters and opponents of the current Ukraine aid package. But even some who have been cautious said they do see a path forward for approval of the bill, which includes roughly $60 billion to support Ukraine.

“We want to be able to help our allies and also help keep our industrial complex to stay afloat,” said Rep. Bruce Westerman of Arkansas. “All of that said, it has to be a bill we can come to agreement on, and it has to be something that members of Congress feel like they understand what the mission is, and what the objective is, and what the plan is.”

Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas and Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma also joined Brown for a tour of Lockheed Martin’s factory in Camden, Ark., where they walked past workers assembling massive ring bases for the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and the tube components of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS. Both systems have been in high demand in Ukraine.

Mullin, who had voted against the bill, said he still sees a way to get approval for the aid, which he supports.

“There is a package that’s being worked on the Senate and the House side that could possibly move forward,” he said, citing an idea that would give the U.S. first rights to Ukraine’s mineral resources in return for the aid. It’s a type of loan that former President Donald Trump has supported and that could make the U.S. less dependent on China, Mullin said.