The coffers are empty and the war in Ukraine still exists. This morning the White House sent a letter to Congress in which it makes an urgent call for legislators to approve refilling the financial allocation for Kyiv. To soften resistance, the letter indicated that this money also allows for boosting labor supply in production plants in the United States.
“We are without money to support Ukraine in this fight,” said Shalanda Young, director of the Office of the Budget in her letter addressed to both chambers of the Capitol. She used the most alarming language so far used by the Biden administration in its attempt to get more money from Congress and allocate it to this war that has taken a backseat to the confrontation between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I want to make it very clear that, without action from Congress, at the end of the year we will not have the resources to provide more weapons and equipment to the Ukrainian forces and deliver material from the United States Army stockpile,” Young stressed. “There is no magic lamp available right now,” he ironically said. “We are out of money and practically out of time,” he insisted.
He also warned that if this provision of funds is not granted immediately, “Ukraine will kneel on the battlefield and this would allow Putin and the autocracy to prevail,” he continued.
In Congress, Republicans are not fully up for the job if their demands to provide many more means to repress the entry of undocumented immigrants across the border with Mexico are not met. Among the conservatives in the Lower House, the Trumpist sectors have little or no concern that Putin prevails, they even view him with sympathy.
The Conservatives want more details on how much money has been spent in Ukraine and how much is intended to be put into the future. The letter attempted to resolve some of these issues with a detailed exposition, but the urgent request was based primarily on the argument that the money for Ukraine is strengthening America’s own defenses and boosting the weapons manufacturing industry.
Around 60% of previous spending on Kyiv stayed within US borders and went to the Pentagon, intelligence agencies or defense contractors, he said. “This has improved our own preparedness because we are acquiring new equipment to replace what we sent to Ukraine, starting and expanding production lines, as well as supporting well-paying jobs in dozens of states across the nation,” Young stressed. .
It remains to be seen if his letter manages to overcome the skepticism of conservative legislators. The president of the Lower House, Mike Johnson, expressed himself against giving more support to this war before obtaining this position. He voted against it twice. However, last week he showed his willingness to grant more money, albeit with conditions.
In this way he joined Mitch McConnell, head of the Republican minority in the Senate. But the two have also agreed that there is no deal if the border does not receive an economic boost. And without forgetting the contribution to Israel, the war that worries them most today.
