The Biden administration has responded forcefully to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both in terms of the attention paid to the conflict and the resources devoted to supporting that nation. This was evidenced most recently by the passage of the administration’s proposal for a massive $40 billion aid package for Ukraine and U.S NATO allies, more than half of which is for military purposes. The administration has also expanded its goals in the conflict from helping Ukraine defend itself to “weakening Russia,” a dangerous escalation.
But the American public is starting to have doubts about the administration’s current course. A new poll shows that a majority of Americans now believe that the administration should prioritize battling inflation and other economic woes over punishing Russia. Part of that effort must include using U.S. leverage to help end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible.
It’s hard to overstate the size of the Ukraine aid package. Taken together with an aid package passed earlier this year, the U.S. will have committed over $50 billion to responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the past four months alone. The military portion of this assistance is more than twice the level of U.S. assistance to Afghan military and police forces at the height of the 20-year war there, and the total aid package is nearly as much as the entire State Department budget. And if the war in Ukraine drags on, this funding may be just the beginning.
