Republicans

They Went AGAINST the Ukraine Aid Package, Here’s Why

Only 11 Republicans in the Senate voted against the massive bipartisan aid package being sent to Ukraine. Led by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, opposition to the $40 billion bill meant that the senators were opposing both Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. No Democrats voted against the bill, which has President Biden’s approval and will now be sent to his desk for signing.

Most Republicans and Democrats united on Ukraine aid

With the latest package, the United States will have devoted $54 billion to the Ukrainian government. That’s equivalent to nearly a third of Ukraine’s annual GDP.

This is a hugely expensive aid program, and only a few politicians have been willing to express any doubts about the wisdom of giving so much money to Ukraine so quickly.

Along with Rand Paul, the latest bill was opposed by Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty of Tennesse, John Boozman of Arkansas, Mike Braun of Indiana, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, and Mike Lee of Utah.

Otherwise the passage of the bill was, in the words of Mitch McConnell, “a bipartisan landslide.” McConnell has been one of the Senate’s most enthusiastic proponents of spending on Ukraine and he brushed aside concerns about the cost of this bill.

The Republicans who voted against it have multiple serious concerns, concerns that are likely shared by many of the constituents of those Republicans who voted for the bill.

Hastily passing a foreign aid bill with minimal oversight through an otherwise gridlocked Congress has raised some questions about why Washington DC can’t be so swift to address problems at home.

Republicans

Senators explain their votes

Without disparaging Ukraine or its struggle, many conservatives have asked why their elected representatives haven’t shown so much alacrity in responding to the crisis at America’s own borders.

Cost is another serious concern; Senator Paul questioned how willing the public would be to support this bill if they were shown the cost. “Each income taxpayer in our country would need to pay $500 to support this $40 billion” according to Paul. That’s at a time when ordinary Americans are feeling the effects of worsening inflation every day.

As the senator also pointed out, the United States is already massively in debt and is effectively borrowing money from China to fund  a nation that is being invaded by its ally.

Senator Hawley said that the project amounts to a nation building scheme similar to those that failed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hawley argued that as a nationalist he cannot vote for a bill that prioritizes the well-being of another nation over the United States.

Senator Tuberville explained that he is willing to send support to Ukraine in principle, but that such a massive sum with so little oversight is just money being thrown at the problem with no guarantees on where it will end up.

Ukraine was notorious as one of the world’s most corrupt governments before the war; skepticism from the 11 Republicans about the wisdom of sending  them a lump sum of $40 billion is hardly unfounded.

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