White House warns Ukraine funds up soon — as new analysis finds 90% of billions spent stay in US
By Social Links for Josh Christenson and
Social Links for Caitlin Doornbos
Published Dec. 4, 2023, 4:31 p.m. ET
The Biden administration alerted Congress Monday that funding to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia will run out by the end of this year as negotiators reach an impasse over future military and humanitarian aid — despite recently published research showing around 90% of the money spent never leaves US shores.
A Nov. 29 report by the American Enterprise Institute found that approximately $60 billion of the $68 billion in military and other assistance approved by Congress since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, has stayed in the United States to build new weapons for US forces, replacing older equipment sent to assist Kyiv.
Those weapons and other materiel, AEI found, are being manufactured in states like Florida, Ohio, and Missouri — where lawmakers like Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have either expressed skepticism about or outright opposed further spending on Ukraine.
That political reality was not lost on White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, who made clear in a Monday letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) that both staunch Republican and politically tenuous swing states stood to benefit from further largesse.
“While we cannot predict exactly which US companies will be awarded new contracts,” she wrote, “we do know the funding will be used to acquire advanced capabilities to defend against attacks on civilians in Israel and Ukraine—for example, air defense systems built in Alabama, Texas, and Georgia and vital subcomponents sourced from nearly all 50 states.
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https://nypost.com/2023/12/04/news/white-house-says-ukraine-funds-up-soon-but-where-does-money-go/
