The White House says that they have gone through 96% of their Ukraine money.

 

National Security spokesman John Kirby. Newsweek/Getty.

The White House says that they have gone through 96% of the money allocated for Ukraine. Newsweek. Congress gave the White House $60 billion and they have gone through most of it. Last month Joe Biden requested $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel and Gaza aid but the request has stalled out. $61 billion of that would have gone to Ukraine. Congress has not agreed to any deal with new House Speaker Mike Johnson saying that any funding for Ukraine would require money for the US border as well. The White House also admitted that Ukraine's offensive did not go well and that aid packages have been getting lower in order to preserve the money that is left. Polling shows that support for sending money to Ukraine is fading. 

My Comment:

It's seeming more and more likely that Ukraine will not be getting any more money from the United States. Though many in congress are still supportive of the war, they are starting to want to have their own priorities addressed as well. Even Lindsey Graham, one of the biggest neocons in the Senate, is saying he won't send money to other countries if our border isn't secured. 

I will not vote for one dime for any country, including Israel, until we secure our own border. pic.twitter.com/ZCfmU0L4Km

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 9, 2023

To get funding for Ukraine the White House and the Democrats would have to give something in return to the Republicans. And I can't see them doing it. The Democrats want the border to remain open and I think they want it even more than they want funding for Ukraine or Israel. 

And Republicans? Many of them aren't onboard for the Ukraine adventure anymore. I think there would be enough votes to pass a standalone Ukraine bill but there is opposition there and the Democrats seem to have zero interest in passing bills one at a time. And they know they have leverage here and will likely demand a price that the Democrats aren't willing to pay. 

Of course at this point I don't think that money for Ukraine would do anything but prolong the war. Ukraine's summer offensive has failed and failed badly. They have taken horrific casualties and barely took any territory back. And Russia itself has launched a counteroffensive that has taken back land and turned the stronghold city of Adviika into an artillery cauldron. 

Even the Ukrainians admit that the problem is no longer funding and weapons, it's the fact that they just don't have the manpower anymore and they have been reduced to drafting old men and young woman, a sure sign that things aren't going well. 

The difference additional funding would make is that the war would end later instead of sooner. Ukraine is heading to a collapse and the best America can do at this point, short of nuking Russia or otherwise joining the war, is holding it off for awhile. If supporting Ukraine was ever in our interests, and I would say it never was, it isn't anymore as we are just throwing good money after bad...