Joe Biden is at it again. The U.S. just announced that it will send $775 million more in military equipment to Ukraine to help in its war against Russia.
The new aid will include missiles, drones, vehicles, and mine clearing equipment, as well as “16 howitzers and ammunition, AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM), ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 15 Scan Eagle reconnaissance drones, and armored vehicles, among other armaments.”
A standout in the latest lethal aid tranche is the HARM, which can be fired from Ukrainian aircraft, have a range of at least 30 miles and are designed to find and destroy radar-equipped air defense systems. The missiles have been credited with taking out some of Russia’s most dangerous weapons systems in Ukraine in recent weeks.
Also included are the Scan Eagle unmanned aerial systems — the first time the U.S. has provided the drone to Kyiv — which will give Ukrainians “better reconnaissance around the front lines,” the official said.
In addition, the package will consist of 1,000 Javelins; 36,000 105 mm artillery rounds; mine clearing equipment; 40 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles, to allow Ukrainian troops to travel through areas rigged with mines; 1,500 tube-launched optically tracked wire-guided missiles; 2,000 anti-armor rounds; 50 Humvees; tactical secure communication systems; night vision devices; thermal imagery systems; and optics and laser range finders.
So far, we’ve provided more than $10 billion in military assistance since August of 2021, with more than $40 billion in Ukraine-related monies passed by Congress. Yet, there’s no end in sight as to how much more money we may throw out there.
This, at a time of historic crushing inflation, record crime, and a border that Joe Biden refuses to secure. Yet, Biden pours out our money elsewhere.
As I wrote back in May, there were a lot of questions about depleting our stockpiles, plus whether we know that the aid and the weapons were getting where they were supposed to be going.
But this was what Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told senators back in May was something else. He said, “It was difficult to track weapons once they were moved into Ukraine.”
“We have to depend on the Ukrainians at this point to do the right thing and make sure that they are prudent and careful about how they issue these weapons out and account for these weapons,” Austin explained.
Oh. So that has with both Hunter Biden and Joe Biden connections, that has historic corruption, we’re told essentially “eh, we can’t do much.” Somehow, that’s not exactly reassuring.
Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) said in July that Congress has a duty and responsibility to make sure there is “transparency and oversight” of taxpayer money.
“We need to be able to make sure that this money is spent efficiently and also that we have ability to be accountable to our taxpayers. And I think that is a must that Congress has to establish … It’s very unusual situation since we really don’t have our people on the ground. So we have to be creative. But I’m sure, as a former auditor, I can give a few suggestions and get it done very easy. So it’s not that hard to do. We can get it done, and I think we must have it done.”
But it doesn’t seem like Joe Biden gives a darn about giving such an accounting or dealing with our own needs first.