A lot gets said on the floor of the House of Representatives, and much of it isn’t worth mentioning. Rep. Chip Roy provided an exception on Wednesday.
The Texas congressman lambasted the rushed vote to approve $40 billion to Ukraine in a clip I think everyone should see. Is this how we want our government to operate? How is this at all sustainable? Those are questions that stick out like a sore thumb following Roy’s righteous rebuke.
Have a watch. It’s worth every second.
. @chiproytx perfectly embodies the righteous anger of the American people toward the utter incompetency of Washington DC
— Young Conservatives of Texas (@yct) May 11, 2022
Roy’s anger is justified. We went from sending Ukraine $13 billion in US taxpayer money just a month or so ago to now sending $40 billion in a giant slush fund filled with incredibly vague appropriations. Worse, that bill was shoved through Congress without anyone even getting a chance to read it.
In what was a disappointing move for the GOP, a majority of Republicans voted for the bill, which was being pushed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Mitch McConnell Claims ‘We All Agree The Most Important Thing Going On In The World Right Now Is The War In Ukraine’ https://t.co/VP0bILrBLp pic.twitter.com/86ov728onv
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 10, 2022
Look, I’m for helping Ukraine in responsible ways, but no, that’s not the “most important thing” going on in the world today, especially for Americans who are dealing with a variety of crises back at home. Besides, there’s a difference between sending targeted support to Ukraine’s military vs. shoveling tens of billions of dollars into unaccountable places, some of which have no relation to the war in Europe at all.
For example, per a breakdown of the bill, did you know that $54 million goes to the CDC? Or that $67 million is given to the DOJ for salaries and expenses? Or that $110 million is marked for embassy security in other countries? Or that $4 billion is delegated to Joe Biden for “foreign military assistance” with essentially no stipulations whatsoever? Heck, $17.6 billion goes to the Department of Defense for a variety of things that may or may not have anything to do with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the money that does get sent to Ukraine is going to get lost in the shuffle the moment it leaves the treasury. How will we know a country known for corruption and money laundering doesn’t misappropriate funds? And where are the safeguards to ensure taxpayer money is spent properly? They simply don’t exist. That’s why Roy is so furious, and he has every right to be.
Further, many of the people voting for this Ukraine slush fund bill are the same people who insisted we couldn’t afford to build the border wall. It’s amazing how quickly they “find” money when it fits their priorities, though, right?
As I said, it’s perfectly reasonable to want to help Ukraine defeat Russia. But it is not sustainable nor reasonable to fight a proxy war in this fashion. What happens when this $40 billion is gone? Do we spend $80 billion next time? It’s amazing to think that after 20 years of spending trillions on foreign wars that the establishment in D.C. couldn’t make it even a year before committing to another money sink.
Lastly, I do think Ukraine should be held to account here. I’m all for helping them push Russia back to the pre-2021 invasion borders. This isn’t that.
Ukraine says the war won't end until Crimea is returned and Russia pays reparations. https://t.co/RhinTBD3cS pic.twitter.com/hvLLUb68HJ
— Justin Logan (@JustinTLogan) May 11, 2022
Those are not our fights, and they represent a large escalation over the status quo. Are American taxpayers expected to provide money to Ukraine in perpetuity while they shoot for the moon? Roy is correct in that this isn’t the way to do things. I’m pro-Ukraine, but I can’t support this kind of government ineptness.
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