Congress has sent $113 billion in taxpayer aid to Ukraine less than two years after Russia’s invasion of the East European ally. That total comes at a cost of about $900 per U.S. household, according to a new analysis from the Heritage Foundation.
“The formal aid packages alone amount to a staggering $113 billion — roughly $900 per American household and almost 12 times the spending cuts promised by House leadership in the annual spending bills,” said federal finance expert Richard Stern in an email to the Daily Signal. “This $113 billion spending spree was added to our national debt and will cost more than $300 in interest costs per household over the decade. Of course, we’ve given more aid than that, but haven’t paid the bill on it yet.”
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported in January that $113 billion in aid and military assistance to Ukraine was approved by Congress just last year. The $113 billion figure, Stern told The Federalist, is just the “known number” based on federal accounting processes, adding the likely total is “significantly more than $113 billion” but “we don’t know how much more.”
The Daily Signal also highlighted a Monday report from CNN noting that the Biden administration is preparing to ask Congress for even more funding to Ukraine.
A majority of Americans, meanwhile, have turned sour on additional support for Ukraine as the war continues to drag on. A poll from CNN last week revealed 55 percent of Americans “say the US Congress should not authorize additional funding to support Ukraine vs. 45 percent who say Congress should authorize such funding.” A majority of independent voters came to the same conclusion, with 55 percent opposed to more Ukrainian aid and 56 percent believing that Washington has “done enough.”
Despite American opposition to committing additional tax dollars to the overseas conflict, few candidates in the presidential race have pledged to pull back. In July, former New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie said, “I want them to have every weapon they need to be able to win,” and paid a surprise visit to the war-torn country last week.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are also reportedly considering ways to stuff more aid to Ukraine in disaster relief legislation.