Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said there is a growing movement to stop sending mountains of cash to Ukraine as the US faces severe economic problems under Joe Biden.
Paul said that now some people in Washington are getting the message.
Earlier this year, Paul warned that the US has run out of both “ammo” and “money” in the Ukraine war with Russia.
As the House searches for a new speaker, Rand Paul said there is a “growing movement” within the Republican party to cut funding for Ukraine altogether.
“We have problems funding Social Security, we have problems funding Medicare, Medicaid, all the things that have already been promised to our people we have trouble funding, and we just don’t have extra money just to be sending to another country,” Paul told Fox News.
An estimated $100 billion of taxpayer dollars has been sent to Ukraine since the war began in 2022.
Paul said the new House Speaker will be under immense scrutiny in the next round of spending discussions.
The Senator also cited a caveat that could stop efforts to continue sending funds to Ukraine,
“The Republican Conference in the house has a rule that if a majority of the Republican Conference is for something or against something, the speaker can’t bring it up by rule,” he said.
Paul has been posting the same sentiment on X:
It’s reprehensible that Congress sends so much of your money to a corrupt oligarchy. To add insult to injury, they do it all without a Special Inspector General to enforce serious oversight. https://t.co/V9RLMAFPcT
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 5, 2023
Last month, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen claimed that funding Ukraine is the “single best” way to aid the global economy.
Yellen asserted that sending money would boost emerging economies while combatting debt distress besides sending billions in taxpayer dollars to Kyiv.
“Ending this war is first and foremost a moral imperative,” she told reporters.
“But it’s also the single best thing we can do for the global economy,” Yellen added.
Meanwhile, others have also been adamant that the Ukraine war will continue and that money needs to be spent to help the country.
In September, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the West must be prepared for a “long war in Ukraine,” adding that there is “no doubt” Ukraine will eventually join the American-led military alliance.
The Norwegian politician said the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would not end any time soon.
“Most wars last longer than expected when they first begin,” Stoltenberg said per France24.
“Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine,” the NATO Chief said.
“We are all wishing for a quick peace,” the NATO Secretary General continued.
“But at the same time, we must recognize: if President Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. If President Putin and Russia lay down their weapons, we will have peace.”
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $1 Billion more for Ukraine, including $300 Million for the country’s law enforcement,
The money for Ukraine included the following:
$175 million in military assistance
$100 million for “longer-term military needs
$206 million for humanitarian aid
$300 million to support “law enforcement”
Meanwhile, Republican presidential hopefuls like Mike Pence suggested Donald Trump would not be able to govern as a conservative due to his stance on Ukraine.
Pence said Trump would “embrace the politics of appeasement on the world stage [and] walking away from our role as leader of the free world.”
“Look, the only way this war would end in a day, as my former running mate says, is if you let Vladimir Putin have what he wants, which, frankly, other candidates for the Republican nomination are advocating as well,” Pence said.
READ: Mike Pence: US Troops Will Be Forced to Fight Russia If Ukraine Loses War
