Recently, Sen. Rand Paul announced he would put Congress and the Biden administration “on notice” by refusing to support spending packages that fund the Ukrainian war effort. The federal government is set to shut down in the coming weeks if lawmakers do not reach a spending deal.
Rand Paul posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Today I’m putting congressional leadership & @POTUS on notice that I will oppose any effort to hold the federal government hostage for Ukraine funding. I will not consent to expedited passage of any spending measure that provides any more US aid to Ukraine.”
Sen. Paul also wrote an op-ed in The American Conservative, explaining his view on the fiscal implications of the U.S.’s funding of the war in Ukraine. Paul reaffirmed his refusal to support any spending proposals that will continue sending money to the war in Eastern Europe.
“Simply put: We have no extra money to send to Ukraine. Our deficit this year will exceed $1.5 trillion. Borrowing money from China to send to Ukraine makes no sense. Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the American taxpayer has provided Kiev $113 billion. Over the 583 days of war between February 24, 2022, and the end of this month, that average will come to $6.8 billion per month—or $223 million per day,” Paul said.
Paul criticized the lack of clarity around the situation, claiming the Biden administration for not setting a clear direction. The senator insinuated that America would continue to spend taxpayer dollars in perpetuity at the rate Ukraine performs on the battlefield.
“When will the aid requests end? When will the war end? Can someone explain what victory in Ukraine looks like? President Biden certainly can’t. His administration has failed to articulate a clear strategy or objective in this war, and Ukraine’s long-awaited counter-offensive has failed to make meaningful gains in the east.” he wrote.
Ultimately, Paul claims he is acting on the principle of national security, that it is not in the interest of the taxpayers to continue funding the war indefinitely. The senator also noted the danger of Russia being a nuclear power and the hypothetical ramifications of letting the conflict drag on.
“At the end of the day, this isn’t about what Ukraine is or isn’t with respect to its form of government. This is all about our interests and our national security. Every day this war continues is another spin of the roulette wheel with another chance of it stopping on Armageddon. And we are paying for the privilege. We cannot continue business as usual. We cannot keep putting the needs of other countries above our own. We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the American economy. And we certainly cannot save Ukraine by fighting a war with Russia,” the senator wrote.
Rand Paul touches on a critical sentiment many Americans hold: why are billions of U.S. tax dollars being sent overseas amid the disastrous state of the domestic economy? For example, one distraught Maui resident slammed the Biden administration for sending billions to Ukraine, while he felt he had not received sufficient assistance from the federal government he has paid taxes to for decades.
"*" indicates required fields