Additional aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia looks unlikely for now, as Senate Republicans are prepared to block funding on Wednesday unless their demands are met.
Republicans are standing firm against a supplemental security bill that would send billions not just to Ukraine but allocate vast sums to other military expenditures globally, as they demand the administration acquiesce first on their border policy demands.
The reasons for opposing more funds to Ukraine range from practical considerations that the nation’s money could be better spent on matters like border security, to the moral opposition to profiting from death and destruction wrought overseas by American weapons.
Before an abrupt cancelation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hoped his appearance before Congress would convince Republican U.S. Senators to reconsider their opposition to billions in new funds for his country’s war with Russia, a massive foreign expenditure that some argue really benefits Americans in the end.
The Biden administration has been pointing out that the funds sent to Ukraine are spent mostly in the United States to buy armaments, ostensibly supporting good-paying jobs. The message is intended to counter critics who balk at sending billions more taxpayer funds to another country with the U.S. economy experiencing spiraling inflation and most Americans struggling to afford basic necessities.
The pro-Ukraine funding pitch claims that Texas has so far been the beneficiary of $1.45 billion for the production of armaments as a result of the funds previously allocated to support Ukraine, according to Reuters.
As The Dallas Express previously reported, one of the places that money is being spent is in Mesquite, where the city council has approved a manufacturing facility for defense firm General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems. Local officials there have pointed to the jobs that the manufacturing facility will create and the revenue it will bring to the area as they encourage their representatives in Washington to support more defense spending.
However, not all lawmakers representing Texas are sold on the idea that more Ukraine-driven spending is wise. Some, like Republican Rep. Lance Gooden, whose district includes Mesquite, have opposed sending any more funds to Ukraine even if the bulk of it is spent back in the U.S.
Gooden’s stance on Ukraine aid reflects the prevailing sentiment among House Republicans, while the party’s senators have been more steadfast in supporting Ukraine against Russia. However, even that support appears to be eroding, as attested to by the last-minute cancellation of Zelenskyy’s scheduled speech by video to the chamber considered more Ukraine sympathetic.
Lawmakers who do challenge the massive amounts sent to the defense sector risk angering constituents who could benefit from jobs that the spending could create such as in Mesquite.