$200 Million For Each Congressional District: Thomas Massie Blasts Washington’s $100 Billion Ukraine Aid

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) in Washington on March 8, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has criticized lawmakers for authorizing billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine that could have been put to better use for the benefit of Americans.

President Joe Biden signed a $1.7 trillion spending omnibus bill on Dec. 29 aimed at keeping the government running until the fiscal year ends in September 2023. This includes a $45 billion aid package for Ukraine supported by nine House Republicans and 18 Senate Republicans. The $45 billion brings the total amount of American taxpayer money authorized by Congress for Ukraine to over $110 billion.

“$100 billion to Ukraine. Let’s put that in perspective. That’s more than $200 million this year from each Congressional district,” Massie said in a Dec. 21 tweet. “What could your congressman have done for your district with $200 million? How long will the kids in your district be paying interest on this debt?”

With the billions sanctioned for Ukraine, the U.S. government could have constructed seven 450-mile-long walls along the American border or nearly two walls covering the entirety of the roughly 2,000-mile border, according to an analysis by Breitbart.

On Dec. 21, Biden announced that Washington was sending $1.8 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine, including a patriot air defense system.

Importance of US Weapons

In an interview with Finnish broadcaster Yle, Markku Salomaa, an adjunct professor of European military history, said that the U.S. supply of weapons has been “critical” for Ukraine’s survival.

Without the American weapons, Ukraine would “no longer exist” as it is the modern Western weapons that have forced Russia into retreating on multiple fronts.

“One example is the HIMARS rocket launchers, with which the Ukrainians have destroyed Russian supply lines. Another example is the various anti-tank weapons, of which tens of thousands have been delivered to Ukraine from the West,” said security policy researcher Mikko Rakkolainen.

Rakkolainen also expressed concerns that weapons of war might end up being sold in the black market.

Back in May, there were reports that military-grade weapons in Ukraine were being sold to international buyers through the Telegram messaging app. This included certain U.S.-made hardware as well.

Though the Western arms supply to Ukraine has proven crucial to the country in defending against the Russian invasion, many do not see it as being enough to defeat Moscow’s military prowess. At best, the supply might only preserve the less-than-ideal status quo.

War Enters 2023

With the Ukraine-Russia war entering its second calendar year, Michael Clarke, an associate director of the Strategic Studies Institute in Exeter, UK, believes the winter and spring season will be crucial.

“Those who seek to invade another country anywhere across the great Eurasian steppes are condemned eventually to winter in it,” he said in an interview with BBC.

“Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin all had to keep their armies moving in the face of a steppes winter, and now—his invasion going backwards on the ground—Vladimir Putin is digging his forces in for the winter to await a new Russian offensive in the spring.”

Of the two sides, Clarke believes Ukrainians are better motivated and equipped to keep going. Putin has already revealed that 50,000 troops have been newly mobilized at the front while another 250,000-strong newly mobilized group is training for 2023.

Andrei Piontkovsky, a scientist and analyst based in Washington, believes Ukraine will be able to fully restore its territorial integrity by spring next year.