The White House goes on a record: the Biden administration will allocate $ 37.7 billion to Ukraine

Alexander Sychev

The administration of US President Joe Biden sent a request to Congress for an additional $37.7 billion in aid to Ukraine. If Congress approves this funding, then this year the total amount of funds invested by Washington in the Ukrainian armed forces will exceed $100 billion. Of the previous nearly $60 billion approved earlier by the House of Representatives, the White House has already spent about 75%.

There is little doubt that congressmen will approve of the White House's request. Although Republicans won the majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, the new MPs will take up their duties in about a month. For the time being, the Congress operates in its former composition. It is chaired by Biden's associate Nancy Pelosi, and the foreign policy committee, which is important for Ukrainian military investment, is chaired by Robert Menendez, a Democrat loyal to the president.

But, as they say, it’s better to hurry for any fireman. The Republican majority will not bring any special changes in US foreign policy, at least in relation to Russia. It has diligently approved all previous requests from the administration without causing President Joe Biden any disturbance. However, the situation has changed somewhat. The next elections are presidential. Republicans will not miss the opportunity to pinch the Democrats to replace them in the supreme power. Therefore, although arms deliveries will undoubtedly continue, it is possible that their volumes will be cosmetically reduced.

Republicans need this to show voters that they are on guard for their interests, trying to limit the waste of the budget when the economy is drawn into recession, gas is expensive, food prices are rising, and ordinary Americans have fewer opportunities to relax with their families even in Mexico.

One hundred billion dollars for the state budget, which is measured at 23 trillion dollars a year, is not such a tangible cost. But, paying for utilities, car maintenance and food, the average American wonders why I should endure difficulties because of the incomprehensible interests of politicians.

This bewilderment and displeasure the Republicans will try to use. The influential Concerned Veterans for America and 12 other community groups sent a joint letter to Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who will succeed Pelosi in her office. In it, they expressed their disagreement with the provision of a new large-scale aid package to Kiev.

“It would be a colossal mistake on the part of Congressional leaders to use this midterm session to speed up consideration of yet another aid package for Ukraine while the United States faces historic inflation and a $31 trillion public debt,” the letter said. – The United States should not continue to write open checks to Ukraine at the expense of hardworking American taxpayers… Before approving any additional aid, the 118th Congress should be able to study and discuss how US interests will benefit from additional funding, and what a reasonable strategy for ending the war looks like in Ukraine".

It should be clarified that not all of almost $40 billion is intended for military assistance, but one way or another, most of it. So, 21.7 billion will go to the account of the Pentagon and will be spent on "replenishing the reserves of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as well as on the continuation of military, intelligence and other defense support".

Another $14.5 billion is expected to be transferred to the US State Department to provide "direct budgetary support to Ukraine in wartime, security assistance, global food security and humanitarian assistance." In other words, a significant part of these funds will also go to weapons, and part to the purchase of grain and food for the United States.

The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine will have to receive $626 million "to maintain nuclear security and create a strategic oil reserve".

The Ministry of Health and other social services of Ukraine will receive $ 900 million "to provide standard medical care and support services to Ukrainian parolees".