A growing number of Republican voices are speaking out against the tens of billions of dollars in aid provided to Ukraine since the start of the war.
A colossal bill of nearly 100 billion dollars. This is the amount of military, economic and humanitarian aid promised for a year by the United States to Ukraine. Monday, February 20 in kyiv, Joe Biden repeated this consecrated formula: We will be by your side “as long as necessary”. In kyiv as in Warsaw, the American President once again reaffirmed, this week, the support “steadfast” of Washington with regard to the Ukrainians. Will he, however, have the means indefinitely?
The Republicans now control part of Congress. And among them, some Trumpists do not hear it that way. “I will work with anyone to stop sending money to Ukraine.launches Matt Gaetz, elected Republican in the House of Representatives. How can that be more important than what’s happening here?” The leader of the House himself, Kevin McCarthy assured that he no longer wanted to sign any “blank check” in Kyiv.
The political consensus is crumbling but it is not yet threatened, assures the Biden administration. “Every time the Secretary of State talks about it with elected House or Senate officials, what he sees is bipartisan and deafening support to continue to help our Ukrainian ally,” assures Vedant Patel, spokesman for the State Department.
“President Biden has been clear: we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Vedant Patel, Democratic spokesperson at the State Department
No worries for now. Provided that opinion does not turn around. Besides, the White House does not seem to care. “Americans understand what we are fighting for, continues Vedant Patel. Democracy, freedom, that’s who we are!”
US spends too much on Ukraine, say 40% of Republicans
However, this is not what Carroll Doherty, researcher in Political Science at the Pew Center in Washington observes. “Among Republicans in particular, there is a growing tendency to believe that the United States is spending too much on Ukraine”he says. “9% of Republicans thought that a year ago, they are 40% today.”
“Not that there is a big backlash in public opinion, but over the next few months, especially because there is a major debate around federal government spending, does he warnwe might see more and more Americans asking themselves ‘when is this all going to end?'” Saccording to him, “A lot of people don’t see how this war could end.”
In other words, the status quo on Capitol Hill around aid to kyiv could end up faltering for lack of popular support. With the 45 billion dollars released in December, the White House will be able to worry about it later.
The consensus on support for Ukraine is crumbling in the United States: the report of the international editorial staff
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