Congress holding hurricane funds hostage for Ukraine: The Hill
5 Min Read
Having witnessed the damage to his hometown in Louisiana at 18 years old, Kevin Roberts, a contributor for The Hill, finds the possibility of US politicians using hurricane relief money to filter funds for Ukraine's war enraging.
-
Debris from washed away homes line a canal in Fort Myers Beach, Florida on October 5, 2022 (AP)
Kevin Roberts, a contributor for The Hill, recalls the massive damage and loss of life caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992 which tore apart homes and left Southern Florida and Louisiana reeling with $25 billion in damages.
Having witnessed the damage to his hometown in Louisiana at 18 years old, Roberts finds the possibility of US politicians using hurricane relief money to filter funds for Ukraine's war enraging.
Yesterday, Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pointed out that the United States has allocated approximately $113 billion in supplies to Ukraine, while a considerable number of US citizens continue to face challenges accessing essential resources, such as food and health insurance.
Kennedy Jr. expressed his concerns during an interview with former FOX News host Tucker Carlson, where he questioned the allocation of funds given the domestic issues at hand.
United States President Joe Biden requested from Congress approval for a $40 billion White House budget for 2024, over half of which are designated to Ukraine while just $12 billion will be spent to support disaster relief efforts in the US.
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said out of the total amount, $24 billion will be allocated to assist Kiev, including $13.1 billion for weapons and a $7.3 billion package for economic, humanitarian, and security.
"$9.5 billion for equipment for Ukraine and replenishment of DOD stocks; and $3.6 billion for continued military, intelligence, and other defense support," the document said.
As for disaster relief, with all the wildfires, hurricanes, and floodings battering the US, $12 billion is the total amount requested.
Roberts expresses that this is "nothing new" for the establishment but underlines that this is a blatant betrayal of what it means to represent the interest of the American people.
The contributor believes that going to such extreme lengths to continue to fund the war without the approval of the people of the US has many reasons.
For one, he argues that US officials are maybe under the impression that European allies are powerless. He also questions whether their motive is to attempt to teach China a lesson regarding Taiwain by "standing up to Russia."
Or, he believes they may have spent "so much time inside the Beltway" that they have utterly ignored the needs of the American voters.
Roberts believes US officials are aware Americans are "fed up with the war" and are too coward to come out and openly say they want to send more funds to Ukraine and would rather "try backdoor tricks" instead.
Another reason? Kiev is now weaker than ever before. Additionally, Roberts notes that their drone strikes in Russia have clearly demonstrated that the US and allies are not just helping Ukraine "defend its sovereignty" as previously touted but rather carrying their offensive operations into Russia, something that former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has repeatedly warned could turn nuclear and ugly.
Read more: Why Ukraine's failure cannot be blamed on lack of air power: Telegraph
He wonders why in the world Biden and Congress are determined to continue supporting Zelensky “as long as it takes" while blatantly disregarding the needs of the American people.
In an attempt to downplay the amount requested for Ukraine, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that the American people understand why President Joe Biden requested billions more in aid for Ukraine, despite recent polls showing declining support for US assistance for Kiev.
A slap in the face to Americans
To make matters worse, Roberts remarks that US representatives do not follow up with baselines accountability with weapons to ensure they do not end up in criminal hands, as revealed by a newly declassified Pentagon report.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu previously said the arms supplied by the West to Ukraine were ending up on the black market and spreading across West Asia. This validates the Pentagon's concerns, as sensitive technology being sent to Ukraine would not be the best for the US in the long term.
He calls the new FEMA money trick a "slap in the face" to all Americans who will experience hurricanes in the near future.
Roberts articulates that Americans are fed up with Washington's "shady backroom deals" involving their money and that until an immediate plan to end the war is brought forward by the current administration, the Heritage Foundation will continue to urge no more money spent on this war.
He adds that citizens nationwide respond to environmental tragedies with perseverance and faith while expecting the government to respond with the help given by their own tax dollars instead of desperately fending for Ukraine.
Biden should spend less on Ukraine, spend more on improving US security: Lawmaker
According to US Congressman Paul Gosar, President Joe Biden should focus on supporting efforts to improve security within the United States rather than on spending more funding on a proxy war in Ukraine.
"Rather than spending a single penny more fighting a proxy war in Ukraine and killing more people, a more worthwhile effort would be if Biden would put America first by allocating resources in our country to secure the southern border, which is being invaded by seven million lawbreakers, funding law enforcement efforts to combat the violent crime and drugs destroying cities across America, or aiding our homeless population, including countless veterans, who are sleeping on sidewalks," Gosar said in a statement to Sputnik on August 10.
