According to reports, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State under President Biden, dressed his 4-year-old son as Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky for a White House Halloween party.
The young boy even received a box of White House M&Ms from President Biden himself. The costume consisted of Zelensky's signature olive green sweatshirt, which he has been seen wearing frequently since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Zelensky even wore the same outfit when addressing Congress and meeting with the U.S. President during his visit to the United States.
Blinken's wife, Evan Ryan, and their daughter also joined in on the Halloween festivities. Their daughter dressed in the colors of the Ukrainian flag as a costume, further emphasizing their connection to the country.
The White House Halloween party, which took place on Monday night, saw First Lady Jill Biden dressed as a cat. She spent about 90 minutes handing out candy to the children of White House staffers and government officials. President Biden, however, did not dress up for the occasion.
It is worth noting that Blinken has Ukrainian heritage, with his grandfather hailing from Kyiv when it was still part of Russia's empire. His grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1900.
The issue of funding for Ukraine has been a contentious topic in the Republican-controlled House. Many conservatives are opposed to providing further funding for the war-torn nation, citing a reluctance to involve the US in foreign conflicts. It is estimated that the US has already spent around $113 billion on Ukraine's fight thus far.
Newly appointed House Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed that if there were to be additional funding for Ukraine, it would need to be offset by cuts in other areas of the budget. This reflects the conservative stance of prioritizing limited government spending.
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