The government of Ukraine is asking western nations to fund their budget. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for $7 billion per month in financial assistance to retain their government obligations. Yesterday, Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reiterated that demand saying, “the cash, in sense of our budget, is very important for social and humanitarian responsibilities of our state to our people.”
l am not wanting to belabor a point that many have discussed here, but there really does come a time when the American people must draw a red line and ask, ‘to what end?‘ The United States government, both the white house and congress, have already pledged $14 billion dollars to Ukraine without a single representative asking the American people if they support it.
Certainly, there is an argument to be made that Ukraine needs the support of the world as they struggle with a conflict in their nation. However, charity begins at home, and for too long our national leadership has been willing to use our income taxes as tools for their own political agenda. The brazen expectation by leaders of Ukraine for the United States citizens to finance their government is, in my opinion, the last straw of a series of straws.
The issue would not be so significant if that request was not also accompanied by the visibility of western European nations, supposedly NATO allies, barely spending any money of their own wealth to assist their direct neighbor. The U.S. financial support is ridiculous when compared to how Europe is responding to the Ukraine crisis.
Compounding this issue is our own American economy and the serious pain being felt by American workers and taxpayers as the spending creates even more massive inflation that we have to cope with. We gained national independence around the premise of taxation without representation from England, and yet here we are again sending scarce income, without consultation or representation, to DC elites who send that money overseas.
(CBS) – […] MARGARET BRENNAN: But, specifically, is it medical supplies you need most? Is it heavy weapons? Is it just cash?
PRIME MINISTER DENYS SHMYHAL: We need weapon, medical support. But many countries support us because they take our injured soldiers. The cash, in sense of our budget, is very important for social and humanitarian responsibilities of our state to our people.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And that’s $4 billion to $5 billion a month Ukraine needs?
Where is the social and humanitarian consideration for our own people. The American people?
The Ukraine government request/demand is just so matter-of-factly stated as if it’s just another day in the life of a group of people who have no concept they are discussing the distribution of your earnings. They don’t even have the mental association or reference point for who and what the golden goose is that creates the baseline for them to even talk about it.
The American taxpayer is reduced to some weird, disconnected entity that was scraped from their loafer as they entered the boardroom.
At gas stations across the nation, people in real economic pain, psychologically draining and worrying anxiety, are pulling out thirty bucks to put a few gallons of gas to get them to their job where what?….
…Where they are expected to use their calloused hands to generate the payments for Ukrainian government officials to spend on their “social responsibilities of the state?”… Think about that the next time we set down the hamburger meat at the supermarket because it costs too much, or we try and figure out how to make the kids shoes last just a few months longer.
The level of rage this geopolitical disconnect is creating is entirely unsustainable.
Americans generally do not like being angry, we are the most charitable and kind people in the history of all assembled nations on this planet, but this level of being taken for granted needs to come to an end, AND SOON.
I don’t know about everyone who reads this, but the people around me are more than a little sick of this nonsense.
I shared this post with my congressman and this is the response I got:
Thank you for taking time to contact me about the Ukraine-Russia conflict. I appreciate your input on this issue and welcome the opportunity to respond.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, I was in Brussels, Belgium to discuss energy and environment issues. All conversations turned to the events happening in Ukraine and Russia. I had an opportunity to meet with one of the 27 commissioners of the European Union. I asked her what message she would have me send back to those of us in the United States. She said the most important thing we could do is to send a signal of our support for them. So, I conveyed on behalf of all my constituents in our country that we do stand with them, and we have the support. They are aware that as they impose sanctions that retaliation will be coming back from President Putin. The time to stand with our brothers and sisters in Europe is now.
The unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia’s President,Vladimir Putin, shocked and horrified the world. Since the first day Putin’s soldiers entered Ukraine’s sovereign borders, the response from the U.S. and Europe-as well as the solidarity from many of our allies-has been strong and forceful. However, there is one clear shortcoming in our sanctions that needs to be closed immediately: The United States and Europe must target Russia’s oil and gas industry, by far their country’s most important export. This lack of strong sanctions on an industry that makes up over a third of Russia’s Federal revenue is a gross failure that fills the pockets of Putin to fund this war everyday. In response, I introduced the Energy Unleashing in Response to the Offenses of Putin against Europeans Act, or the ”EUROPE Act” to end it now.
The EUROPE Act is the best next step to holding Russia accountable and replacing their dirty fuels with clean energy from America. My bill would immediately block Russian oil and gas from much of the global market by implementing sanctions on any foreign financial institution that engages in a financial transaction with the Russian oil and gas industries. To work toward replacing that supply, the EUROPE Act expedites U.S. exports of natural gas to mutual defense treaty allies, expedites the permitting of liquified natural gas ports primarily shipping to these allies, repeals harmful regulations on our domestic energy industry in order to unleash American resources, and sets aside money at the Export-Import Bank to compete with Russia and other strategic competitors when the U.S. can provide a low-carbon alternative such as financing European LNG ports or nuclear power plants.
As the worst of our fears unfold, all people across the globe must unite to reject the assault on our friends in Ukraine, the US and partner countries must hold nothing back as we escalate financial pressure and sanctions on Russia. All freedom loving nations should support Ukraine in their effort to combat this violation of international law, including sharing equipment to support their self-defense. Challenges to the international rules-based order must be met with strength and resolve. Therefore, I have pushed numerous times in bills and amendments for sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and sanctions on 35 members of Putin’s inner circle.
I listened to President Zelenskyy’s address in March, surrounded by colleagues in Congress, to get a better understanding of the current needs in Ukraine. We must support Ukraine and, as I have called for already, we must give them more weapons and resources to defend themselves and increase sanctions against Russia. By supporting Ukraine, along with our European allies, we can show Putin he will not win this unprovoked invasion. The United States has contributed billions in aid so far to Ukraine, and Congress is continuing to consider the proper allocation of resources for our friends in Ukraine.
However, sanctions are only one part. We must ensure that Ukraine immediately has the means to defend itself and raise the cost of an invasion for Russia to a point where the cost is intolerable. I am committed to working with my colleagues here in Congress to ensure Ukrainians have the means to defend their sovereignty.
Puke. Who is your rep?