On Monday, the Senate passed legislation that would provide $40 billion in aid to Ukraine as Americans continue to suffer from food shortages and inflation.
The Senate voted to close the motion to continue work on HR 7691, the Additional Aid Package for Ukraine. movement to go past 81-11. This means that the Senate can start discussing the Ukraine aid package.
The law provides Ukraine with more than $20 billion in military supplies and nearly $20 billion in humanitarian, economic and other aid to Ukraine.
While Republicans and Democrats in the Senate overwhelmingly voted to advance the bill, many Republicans with populist views such as Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Rand Paul (R-KY) opposed the bill.
Senators Paul, Hawley, Mike Crapo (R-ID), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Brown (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Roger Marshall (R – KS), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) vote against the bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sought to get the bill quickly passed the Senate; however, Paul asked the Senate to pass an amendment creating a special inspector general to oversee how military aid is spent in Ukraine.
Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) speaks at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee session on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget in Washington, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (Al Drago/Pool Photo via AP)
“My oath is to the US constitution, not to any foreign country, and my oath is to the national security of the United States, however sympathetic my purpose,” Paul said in his speech to the Senate floor last week. “We cannot save Ukraine by destroying the US economy,” he said.
Paul said he would try to delay the bill until Thursday. HE IS I said CNN: “Because I think we should have an inspector general. We have one and he takes care of Afghan garbage. He is very good at this. You don’t have to wait for an appointment. He has a team and it works. And I think that’s what we should do.”
Kelly Vlahos, editor of Responsible Statecraft for the interventionist Quincy Institute, wrote that Paul was “alone” in supporting the Ukraine aid bill.
“It’s predictable that lawmakers who have transferred billions of dollars through Congress in record time over the past two months will be uncomfortable,” Vlahos said.
Breitbart News defense correspondent Christina Wong explained the cost to Ukraine of the $20 billion aid package for the Ministry of Defense:
Hawley said the aid package is not in America’s interest and has no significant control over the massive spending bill.
It is not in America’s interest to spend $40 billion in aid to Ukraine, which is more than three times the total amount of Europe. It ignores local priorities (boundaries), allows Europe to get free downloads, shorts critical overseas interests, and happens without significant oversight.
– Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) 16 May 2022
“It’s not in America’s interest to spend $40 billion to help Ukraine—three times more than all of Europe combined. It neglects local priorities (boundaries), allows Europe to get freebies, restricts vital overseas interests, and happens without meaningful oversight,” Hawley wrote.
As Americans continue to suffer from the highest inflation in 40 years and a shortage of baby food, senators voted to move the bill forward.
“This is not isolationism. This is nationalism. “It’s about America’s security priorities and America’s interests,” he said.
Source: Breitbart
