The Biden administration, in a move announced on Monday, revealed its intention to allocate $200 million in military aid to Ukraine, which comes with a growing wave of opposition among Americans who question the intentions of channeling U.S. money to Ukraine.
BREAKING: The United States has just sent another $200 million in aid to Ukraine.
$200 million to Ukraine today and Maui doesn't even get a comment.
As American citizens in Lahaina, Maui suffer from the loss of life and property President Joe Biden has just sent $200M worth of… pic.twitter.com/myNBAJjoh1
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 14, 2023
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, through a press statement, outlined the key components of the $200 million package. The provisions include “air defense munitions, artillery rounds, anti-armor capabilities, and additional mine-clearing equipment.”
This new expenditure is in addition to the $113 billion the U.S. had already sent to the nation in the previous year. In the words of Blinken, “Every day, Russia is killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying civil infrastructure, while also weaponizing hunger and contributing to global food insecurity through its destruction of Ukraine’s civilian ports and grain infrastructure.”
Curiously, the administration’s acute concern about “hunger” and “food insecurity” among Ukrainians conflicts with its apparent lack of similar concern for the wellbeing of its own soldiers. Recently, Military.com reported on the precarious state of one of the U.S. Army’s major bases, Fort Cavazos (formerly known as Fort Hood).
Reports indicate that the base has struggled to maintain its food supply for several months.
Throughout the summer, only two out of the ten major dining facilities at the Texas base were operational every day, with three others operating only during limited hours.
Consequently, many service members were compelled to undertake long journeys across the base to access their meals, some requiring an hour-long round trip. Others were left with limited options, particularly those without access to vehicles or shuttle services.
An anonymous officer shared, “For months, one was open and was a more than 30-minute drive for my soldiers… It’s unmanageable during the workday.”
While Biden and Congress continue to send a significant amount of U.S. taxpayer funds to Ukraine, public sentiment within the United States strongly opposes the administration’s current decisions.
According to a recent CNN poll, 55% of Americans surveyed believe that Congress “should not authorize additional funding to support Ukraine,” while 45% advocate for such funding. The poll also revealed a notable shift in opinions.
While 62% of respondents believed in February 2022 that the U.S. should have “been doing more” to aid Ukraine, the current statistic indicates that 51% now perceive that the U.S. has already contributed sufficiently to Ukraine’s efforts against Russia’s invasion.
