As the deadline to fund the federal government looms large, Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul is taking a principled stand against unchecked spending, specifically targeting further financial aid to Ukraine.
Paul, a stalwart critic of foreign aid, made it clear on Wednesday that he will not greenlight a rushed funding bill that allocates more money to the Eastern European nation.
“Today I’m putting congressional leadership & [Joe Biden] on notice that I will oppose any effort to hold the federal government hostage for Ukraine funding. I will not consent to expedited passage of any spending measure that provides any more US aid to Ukraine,” Paul stated unequivocally.
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Today I’m putting congressional leadership & @POTUS on notice that I will oppose any effort to hold the federal government hostage for Ukraine funding. I will not consent to expedited passage of any spending measure that provides any more US aid to Ukraine.…
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 20, 2023
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Demonstrating a fiscal conservatism deeply concerned with America’s ballooning national debt, Senator Paul also published an op-ed on Wednesday in The American Conservative. In it, he questioned the wisdom of the U.S. strategy in Ukraine.
“When will the aid requests end? When will the war end? Can someone explain what victory in Ukraine looks like?” President Biden certainly can’t. His administration has failed to articulate a clear strategy or objective in this war, and Ukraine’s long-awaited counter-offensive has failed to make meaningful gains in the east,” Paul wrote.
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Do not be deceived by Zelensky, Rand Paul (@RandPaul) says, Ukraine is corrupt: “They’ve canceled the elections ..They banned the political parties, they’ve invaded churches, they’ve arrested priests, so no, it isn’t a democracy, it’s a corrupt regime.”pic.twitter.com/EWUDsa4TKt
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 21, 2023
This isn’t the first time Paul has advocated for greater scrutiny of aid sent to Ukraine. He has consistently argued for more oversight of the billions of taxpayer dollars allocated for humanitarian and military assistance to the country.
Support for Paul’s stance is growing within the Republican Party. On Thursday, a contingent of GOP leaders, spearheaded by Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Texas Rep. Chip Roy, penned a letter to Shalanda Young, the director of the Office of Management and Budget. Along with nearly 30 other Republicans, including Paul, they expressed their intent to vote against President Biden’s additional $24 billion request for Ukraine.
Their letter raised essential questions deserving of answers, stating, “The American people deserve to know what their money has gone to. How is the counteroffensive going? Are the Ukrainians any closer to victory than they were 6 months ago? What is our strategy, and what is the president’s exit plan? What does the administration define as victory in Ukraine? It would be an absurd abdication of congressional responsibility to grant this request without knowing the answers to these questions.”
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The Republican call for accountability and fiscal restraint arrives as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks even more aid from the United States. While Senate leaders such as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appear favorable to Zelensky’s request, the proposition may encounter substantial resistance in the House.
By asking the hard questions and seeking more transparency, Senator Paul and like-minded Republicans are standing up for fiscal responsibility that the nation desperately needs.
