I wonder, how many Democrats truly approve of dumping hundreds of billions in money, aid, and military gear to Ukraine, with very little oversight, no end in sight, and little true need. For all the attempts to state how much Ukraine means to the U.S. national security, it really doesn’t
A Loud GOP Minority Pledges to Make Trouble on Ukraine Military Aid
A congressional delegation of five Republicans and two Democrats met with representatives of Ukraine’s parliament this month in Poland, where the Ukrainians thanked the delegation for U.S. aid and asked for F-16 fighter jets to help in the war against Russia. Three members of the delegation described the meeting as cordial and informative.
One left the session in a state of indignation.
“I just got back from meeting with the Ukrainian Parliament in Poland, where they demanded F-35s and thought it was an obligation for every American to pay $10 a month to fund their war,” first-term conservative Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote in a heated email to this reporter three days later. Ukrainians are not asking for the more advanced and expensive F-35s, but regardless, Luna said the U.S.’ role in the conflict could “potentially start WWIII.”
Ukraine ranked low on her constituents’ concerns, she added, vowing to brief her colleagues about the encounter.
Luna is among the boisterous proponents in Congress of former President Donald Trump’s “America first” worldview that regards financial commitments overseas with extreme skepticism. Like Trump, they maintain that every dollar spent on Ukraine — and there has been $113 billion for the war so far — is a dubious investment of taxpayer money that could have been better used on domestic priorities, like fighting the spread of fentanyl. Senior Republicans who support the war and maintain the hawkish traditions of the establishment GOP fear the movement will gain momentum as the conflict grinds on and Trump’s candidacy consumes the 2024 spotlight.
Um, yeah. What’s wrong with spending that money here? Helping Americans? Dealing with homelessness?
For the moment, America’s commitment to Ukraine seems resilient. President Joe Biden announced an additional $1.2 billion in military aid last week. Ukraine funding has gone unmentioned in the $4.5 trillion in spending cuts House Republicans are demanding in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. A House resolution introduced in February by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., aimed at halting further aid to Ukraine attracted only Luna and nine other signatories among the chamber’s 222 Republicans.
America’s? No, certain lawmakers in both the GOP and Democratic Party.
But there is evidence to suggest that the anti-Ukraine flank of the Republican Party is playing not to the fringe but to the heart of the party’s base. A survey last month of registered voters by Kristen Soltis Anderson’s Echelon Insights found that 52% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents do not think U.S. interests are at stake in Ukraine. Similarly, a survey in March conducted by Axios/Ipsos found that 57% of Republicans opposed providing weapons and financial support to Ukraine.
This isn’t anti-Ukraine. It’s simply that we really do not care. I’m not anti-soccer and NBA: I just do not care. Most of us would want to see them defeat Russia and kick them out. But, we see no need to to spend the money and potentially start WWIII. And this just keeps going and going and going. Heck, most days the MSM barely covers it, including the NY Times.
Anyhow, it bogs down in all sort of silliness as the Times tries to paint opposition as Something Bad, it’s Isolationist, it’s Trumpian, ending with
So far, defying the Republican base by supporting aid to Ukraine does not appear to be politically detrimental to the party’s incumbents.
“Not at this time,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a vociferous foe of assisting Ukraine and a Trump loyalist. “But I’ll be speaking at many of the Trump rallies, and you can bet that I’ll be heavily messaging against the war in Ukraine and anyone who’s funding it. And I guarantee you that’s going to be moving the needle.”
It’s really not driving votes one way or the other. But, maybe it’s time to be diligant with all the expenditures, and consider what this is really getting us.
Read: NY Times Seems Upset That Majority Of Republicans Aren’t Into Open Ended Funding Of Ukraine »