Ukrainian Aid Eked Through Congress
In April 2024, spurred on by Democratic leadership, Congress eked out a long-delayed action to further US national security
Military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, along with aid to Israel and Taiwan and humanitarian support in Gaza, was finally passed in April after a 6-month delay caused by pro-Putin GOP radicals in the House and abetted by other Republicans who once spoke tough on Russia, but couldn’t stand steady once Trump and MAGA got in the way.
In the US House and Kansas Delegation
Kansas Representative Sharice Davids (D-Kansas 3rd District) voted for strength and determination in US foreign policy. Following the vote, she released this statement:
“Today, I voted with Republicans and Democrats to protect our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in their fights against tyranny and terror and to deliver aid to innocent civilians in Gaza. While I am frustrated that preserving our national security has been marred with partisanship, in times of crisis, we must defend democracy and recognize that stability and prosperity abroad directly impact our safety and economy at home.”
Representative Tracey Mann (R-1st District) and Rep. Ron Estes (R-3rd District) each found various excuses to justify their votes against Ukraine.
Ukrainian Flag (image by Varian Dolkova on unsplash)
For Estes, the defense of democracy is just too inconveniently expensive: “I've previously voted for Russian sanctions as Ukraine faces unprovoked aggression from a tyrant, but the $60.8 billion bill that the House passed today was too much...”
Mann, by contrast, questioned the accountability of the funds, saying that in his opinion, it was “irresponsible and unsustainable to continue funding a war in Ukraine without any oversight as to how Americans’ tax dollars are spent.” [For the record, Mann did not acknowledge the multiple oversight programs already in place or clarify what positive action he was proposing to allow release of aid in a timely manner.)
U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries lamented the failure of many GOP House members to rise to the occasion. "There is a growing pro-Putin faction in the Republican party that does not want to support Ukraine and believes for some reason that Russia is not an enemy of the United States of America," said Jeffries in an interview with CBS 60 Minutes.
Responding to critics in the House and Senate who would all but concede Ukraine to Russia, Jeffries shot back:
"This has been a strategic success by any definition. And so those that want to convince the American people that the Ukrainian effort has been a failure are promoting Vladimir Putin's propaganda because the facts say the exact opposite, which is why it's important for us to finish the job. It's a Churchill or Chamberlain moment."
In the Senate
Junior Senator Roger Marshall followed the script of other aid-deniers when he dismissed Ukrainian sacrifices and strategic considerations and hid behind vague expressions of fiscal constraint: “We cannot continue selling our grandchildren down a river and sending another $60 billion we do not have to Ukraine. No more blank checks,” said Marshall, as reported in the Kansas Reflector.
Senator Moran, with more experience and strategic sense, called this line of thinking naive:
“Iran launched a full-scale attack on Israel; Hamas has stated its intent to wipe Israel off the map; Russia continues its brutal aggression in Ukraine; and China is rapidly modernizing its military and using companies to spy and track Americans. Each of these conflicts are interconnected, and it would be naive to send aid to Israel but take a pass on supporting Ukraine, Taiwan or our other allies.”
Moran noted that allies and adversaries of the United States were watching. “There is no path forward for Ukraine, there is no path forward for Israel or for Taiwan if the United States of America disengages in the world.” He further observed that $42 billion of $60 billion earmarked for Ukraine would be used to replenish U.S. military stockpiles and purchase U.S.-made weapons, including hardware from plants in Kansas and the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Larger Context
Since the passage of aid in April, Russia has continued to pound Ukrainian forces, making small but strategically ambiguous gains in the Kkarkiv region. As aid has reached the battlefield, there is optimism that a new phase in the conflict is emerging - a phase more favorable to the Ukrainian side.
Yale historian Timothy Snyder is a leading academic voice on the need for the West to understand history and stand with Ukraine in this moment. Snyder was on hand during Congressional hearings for this aid, directly challenging Representatives on the way in which foreign propaganda was being recycled.
In a recent article for CNN, Snyder wrote:
“If Russia wins, the consequences are horrifying: a risk of a larger war in Europe, more likelihood of a Chinese adventure in the Pacific, the weakening of international legal order generally, the likely spread of nuclear weapons, the loss of faith in democracy.”
As to whether Russia is destined to win, Snyder pushes back:
“The notion of an invincible Red Army is propaganda … Of its three most consequential foreign wars, the Red Army lost two…. One would expect, instead, that Russia’s only chance is to prevent the West from helping Ukraine – by persuading us that its victory is inevitable.”
Yale historian Dr. Timothy Snyder giving testimony on Ukraine to Congress, along with MSNBC interview. (per MSNBC on Youtube)
Addendum, June 2024
In June 2024, a major summit of nations met to reaffirm their support for peace and reconstruction in Ukraine. Bolstered by US overcoming its impasse, deliveries of weapon systems and aid has increased. NATO nations have made significant gain in increasing defense production and aid to Ukraine.
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin provided extensive remarks in mid June regarding Ukraine, NATO and US support.
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Ukrainian Summary prepared by the Food and Farm Caucus, for consideration by its members and other concerned Kansans. Sources: Press Releases from Rep. Davids, Mann and Estes in the House; The Kansas Reflector; CBS 60 Minutes; NPR; MSNBC PBS and the AP.