The last time the United States gave such significant financial assistance to Europe, President Harry Truman was attempting to rebuild a continent devastated by World War II.
It was 1947, and the Democrat was trying to convince a weary populace mourning the deaths of 470,000 American soldiers that other war-torn countries needed help to rebuild and fend off the lingering threat of Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union.
The United States would provide support in the form of the $13 billion Marshall Plan – worth $160 billion in today’s currencies – and the Truman Doctrine.
Seventy-five years later, the Biden administration and Congress have now channeled a similarly staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight.
The draft law marking the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion confirms that the US is by far the world’s largest contributor to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s war effort – followed by Britain and the European Union – and the White House has signaled support will continue.
But Americans are beginning to wonder where the money is going, how it’s being spent, and whether it’s worth the cost of the aid.
The Biden administration and Congress have channeled a staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer dollars to Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight
Public sentiment has started to plummet, and Republicans are now warning they will scrutinize all the money sent to Kiev to make sure it wasn’t wasted.
The GOP believes accelerated financial packages – similar to those approved during the COVID pandemic – are vulnerable to mismanagement or abuse.
In a Republican-controlled House, the money is under scrutiny, so has broken down where the money has been spent so far, how it’s being approved and what’s next.
THE $46 BILLION AID FOR DRONES, TANKS AND MILITARY HARDWARE
The huge support package – three times the US spending in Afghanistan in a year – is dominated by $46.6 billion in military equipment and support.
The sum is by far the largest of any Western ally, with the UK second in providing $5.1 billion since the invasion began, and the EU $3.3 billion.
The American package so far included 8,500 Javelin anti-tank systems, a Patriot air defense battery, 20 Mi-17 helicopters, 31 Abrams tanks and 700 Switchblade drones.
109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 75,000 body armor and helmets, 38 high mobility artillery missile systems and 4,000 Zuni aircraft missiles were also sent.
Military analysts believe western hardware went a long way in helping Ukrainian forces keep the Russians at bay.
And Zelenskyy wants more, including fighter jets. There has been a push by both Republicans and Democrats to provide F-16s.
But the Biden administration was reluctant to provide more firepower, fearing Putin would see it as a sign of escalation.
Former Assistant Secretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy and Human Rights Nathan Sales told : “The Biden administration needs to do more. It has to help Ukraine win, not just fight to a draw.
“That means providing long-range missiles, more tanks, fighter jets and air defense systems.
“Time is not on our side — the longer the war lasts, the harder it will be for Western allies to stay united, and the more likely an inconclusive standoff will embolden the Chinese Communist Party to launch its own war of aggression against Taiwan. ‘
The remainder of United States financial assistance includes funds for humanitarian and financial assistance, such as food, clean drinking water, and medical supplies.
There is also money to support refugee programs for the large numbers of Ukrainians who are being forced to leave their homes.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than half of the funds will be spent by the end of 2024 and three-fourths will be used by the end of 2026.
“The Americans are setting the pace in supporting Ukraine,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the Ukraine Support Tracker team at the Kiel institute.
“The hesitation of Europeans in the first year of the war is a remarkable phenomenon, especially since financial resources can be mobilized quickly,” he added.
“This is evident, for example, from the enormous amount of funds that EU governments have mobilized to cushion the domestic energy price shock.”
HOW AMERICANS BEGIN TO QUESTION THE AID THAT CAN BE SENT TO UKRAINE — AND AS ASSISTANCE TO CONTINUOUS FUNDS SwellS
Biden announced an additional $500 million in support during his secret trip to Kiev on Monday and has shown no sign of stopping the flow of money until Ukraine achieves it
But American support for the delivery of a steady supply of arms and necessities has waned in recent months, and questions about finances are being raised.
A Portal/Ipsos poll conducted between February 6 and 13 found that 58 percent of Americans supported military support, compared with 73 percent in April 2022.
On Jan. 31, results from a PEW Research poll showed that the proportion of Americans who said the US was too supportive of Ukraine had risen to 26 percent from 7 percent in March 2022.
President Biden has three methods available to provide direct assistance to Ukraine: the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF).
Joe Biden is pictured alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy in Kiev on Monday. The US President pledged another $500 million in aid and signaled that financial support would continue for a war that has no end in sight
The last time the United States gave such significant financial support to a Europe, President Harry Truman was attempting to rebuild a continent devastated by World War II
For example, according to the Federal Budget Committee, Biden has used the PDA 29 times since invading Russia.
This includes the delivery of supplies from the US military’s own arsenal. Last May, Congress passed setting a $11 billion cap on devices Biden can use through the PDA.
Biden used the authority to ship $9.2 billion worth of supplies — or about 84 percent — from U.S. inventories.
The Commander-in-Chief has deployed the USAI — related to federal government contracts with the private sector — eight times since April 2022 to provide $7.2 billion in assistance.
The FMF is replenishing NATO allies’ stockpiles, and Biden has used this three times to hand over $3.1 billion in support.
When asked for more help Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden will “focus on what the American people want to focus on.”
“We have seen bipartisan support when it comes to helping Ukraine,” Jean Pierre said, noting that Republicans have also visited the war-torn country since the invasion.
GOP investigators have said they will keep an eye on where the money is going, while a faction in the party has called for a drastic reduction in aid.
A Ukrainian unit fires one of four rockets from its 122mm BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher at a Russian infantry position February 20 in southern Donbass region, Ukraine
REPUBLICAN OVERSIGHT WHILE STILL SUPPORTING UKRAINE
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer said: “Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Congress has allocated more than $113 billion in security, humanitarian, economic and government assistance.
“It is vital that government agencies managing these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud and abuse.
“The committee is seeking documents and information to understand how the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State (State) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) oversee these funds.”
Comer and his Republican colleagues highlighted how quickly approved pandemic programs later fell victim to fraud and abuse.
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have urged Biden to continue providing the deadly aid Ukraine needs to counter Putin’s “unprovoked” invasion.
But they have also promised “robust” oversight to protect American taxpayers while ensuring weapons are effective on the battlefield.
“American taxpayers are rightly frustrated by the more than $100 billion spent in Ukraine, particularly given the lack of a clear vision or strategic goal in the conflict,” said Jessica Anderson, executive director of Heritage Action for America , to .
“Before Congress even discusses the possibility of additional aid, the public needs answers to a number of important questions.
“This includes some sort of public disclosure of where and how the previous economic aid was spent, and a public disclosure of the implications of the power to draw.
“Furthermore, the Biden administration must formulate a plan about what ‘victory’ is, American commitment to that ‘victory,’ and American financial commitment in a post-conflict recovery phase.”
“Giving $113 billion in aid to Ukraine without proper oversight is a recipe for fiscal disaster,” David Williams of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance told .
“When will politicians and bureaucrats learn that you can’t just give money and expect it to go to the right people and places?
“President Biden has complained that Republicans don’t care about the deficit or the debt, and here he is handing out billions of taxpayers’ dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.
“America can’t afford to keep writing checks. If Biden is serious about avoiding a debt-ceiling catastrophe, he needs to do it and put away the taxpayer’s checkbook.
Ukrainian soldiers from the 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigde take part in an exercise in the Kharkiv region on February 23, 2023, the day before the one year since the war began
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at a monument to the Hero Cities of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany at the Kremlin wall on Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow, Russia February 23