Nebulosity of Biden’s Ukraine involvements reaches new clarity

By Piper Sartison

Elm Staff Writer

President Joe Biden recently encouraged House Republicans to support needed foreign aid for Ukraine — surprisingly, however, he states that two thirds of the roughly $95 billion in aid would go to United States factories for military production.

According to Al Jazeera, Biden claims he is confident the U.S. will support the proposal. Additionally, he told reporters it would be “absurd” and “unethical” for lawmakers not to approve a new package of military aid.

Although most of the foreign aid money would be implemented in factories across the U.S., Biden insists on the benefits of the proposal, stating how the money would employ thousands of Americans. From his perspective, Biden believes that the proposal would support both foreign policy aid and jobs for the working middle class.

According to ABC News, “the president’s argument challenges criticism by some Republican lawmakers that the federal government should be spending more money at home instead of supporting overseas wars.”

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is denying a vote on the House floor, claiming that the proposal “does not meet the needs of the American public.”

“While this bill sends military equipment to Ukraine,” Biden said, “it spends the money right here in the United States of America in places like Arizona, where the Patriot missiles are built; and Alabama, where the Javelin missiles are built

; and Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas, where artillery shells are made.”

Biden’s foreign aid proposal is following the recent charges against an ex-FBI informant named Alexander Smirnov. Smirnov is being charged for lies against the Biden administration and connections to Russian intelligence.

According to NPR, prosecutors in federal court on Tuesday stated that Smirnov “claims to have contacts with multiple foreign intelligence agencies” and had planned to leave the U.S. for months just two days after he was arrested, to meet with Russian intelligence officials, among others.

Throughout his time as a trusted FBI informant, Smirnov was reported to have fabricated claims revolving around Joe Biden and his son Hunter in connection to bribery of a Ukrainian energy company.

The court ruled for Smirnov to be released on a bond, going against the government’s proposal of keeping him in custody.

Smirnov’s defense claims the FBI was aware of his disloyalty for years but had done nothing to prevent him from obtaining further information.

According to ABC News, U.S factories have already “shipped out nearly $162 billion worth of military goods last year…The shipments increased 8.1% compared to 2022. The supplemental funding could further drive factory production upward this year.”

Most of the money would go to U.S. workers in factories that are designed to produce military weapons that have been already previously sent to Ukraine. As a result, Americans are fairly questioning the motives of the proposal, confused over how more than half of the foreign aid money would directly benefit the U.S. economy rather than Ukraine.

Biden has also faced scrutiny from Republicans, as many of the right have criticized his party’s motivations in intervention and aid across the world. The question remains of whether the bill will be passed in The House.

Regardless, if Biden wants to demonstrate compassion or advocacy for the Ukrainian public, he needs to rearrange his priorities.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Photo caption: President Biden penned his concerns for the attacks on Ukraine by Russia into legislation.

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