Biden was poised to send even more American taxpayer money to Ukraine, but the effort has been blocked by Kentucky’s Republican Senator Rand Paul.
The funding up for approval topped $40 billion, supposedly to help Ukraine and its allies withstand the invasion from Russia, Sen. Paul denied the needed unanimous agreement which they needed to move to the next stage and delayed it another week.
The legislation has strong bipartisan support in the Senate, after it was approved by a huge number in the House of Representatives. The bill will continue to the next stage, but it shows that not all people in the Senate support rushing funds with no oversight to a foreign nation, especially when things at home are becoming dire.
Sen. Paul also went directly against Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who began Thursday’s session by saying that senators from both sides needed to “help us pass this urgent funding today.”
The Kentucky senator is a libertarian and has opposed foreign wars many times before, regarding the bill, Paul said he wanted it written in, that an inspector general should scrutinize the additional spending.
“No matter how sympathetic the cause, my oath of office is to the national security of the United States of America,” Paul said. “We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.”
Paul voiced concerns about the state of the economy and that sending such a huge sum of money would only deepen federal deficits and worsen inflation – which it will. Of course, the Democrats aren’t too worried about recklessly spending taxpayer money.
There was offered a vote on the proposed language change in the bill, but Sen. Paul refused and insisted it be put in without a vote.
Democrats said they were objecting because it would expand the powers of an existing inspector general who is currently only overseeing Afghanistan and that Biden would miss the opportunity to appoint his own inspector general.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said, “It’s clear from the junior senator from Kentucky’s remarks, he doesn’t want to aid Ukraine,” adding, “All he will accomplish with his actions here today is to delay that aid, not to stop it.”
“They’re only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion,” McConnell said of the Ukrainians. “And they need this help right now.”
The problem is, Americans need help too and they have been experiencing some of the worst prices and inflation in decades – sending more of their money to help a foreign nation when the coffers are already $2.8 trillion in deficit, is going to completely tank the economy of the United States.
Democrats will not stop at this additional funding either, there will be more put up and given to one of the most corrupt countries on the planet – while Americans at home are unable to feed themselves or their families.
