A $40 Billion Problem

Congress has a spending and responsibility problem

Titanic defense spending is nothing new in Washington D.C. Last week the House of Representatives passed a $40 billion aid bill for Ukraine. Late Monday, the Senate approved the bill 81-11. All 11 nays were Republicans. President Joe Biden is expected to approve the bill. Contrary to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s opinion, a critical look at aid spending for Ukraine is necessary and appropriate.

In a tired attack, McConnell accused opponents of the bill of isolationism. The United States never was particularly isolationist – however, the measured and appropriate use of our military in European land wars rightfully gave hesitations. It is not likely we will enter another European land war. On the other hand, Congress casually approving the United States flipping the bill and the gravity of that bill is under debated by the public.

Stop Asking for WW3

My major concerns center around the total cost. Of course, $40 Billion is not a small amount but expected given that the Russo-Ukraine War is a modern, very deadly war with casualties in the tens of thousands. However, that $40 billion is nearly what the United States paid per year for our war in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the nations of Europe fail time and time again to rise to the economic burden of the war.

Understand this significant point about the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: they were large, costly distractions. Our adversaries and rivals, namely China, happily watched the United States dive into open-ended wars with no apparent objective. The attempts to create liberal democracies by force were farcical. Meanwhile, China monopolized the market in modern products like solar wafers, phone components, and other similar manufacturing requiring rare earth minerals. China also expanded its influence on global food production, resource extraction, and consumer products.

The sound you hear is China mocking you.

While this global war on terrorism was occurring, the United States went through the tremendously painful Great Recession. Already the Boomer economy was centered around rent-seeking of the following generations to finance the creature comforts of the Baby Boomers. Still, a massive wave of Chinese money flooded the U.S. to keep the housing market afloat, further disenfranchising America’s youth.

Instead of spending those dollars on domestic industry and bailing out the taxpayer, we burned the money abroad and worked with China to bail out Wall Street. Now, when we are finally out of Afghanistan, the war I fought in, politicians in Washington D.C. yet again seek to dump tremendous amounts of cash abroad.

To iron-man my argument, I realize there’s a military necessity for Ukraine to receive aid to continue the war with Russia. As Members of Congress inappropriately said, the United States is engaging in a proxy war with Russia, and its senior partner, China. However, there was minimal discussion on this bill and no thought to the future of U.S. spending in Ukraine.

The United States will finance the reconstruction of Ukraine. History tells us this much. Politics points to Washington's willingness, and the United States cannot allow Ukraine to return to its state of corruption before the war. The last point is critical, Ukraine was sore on Europe, and its interference in American and European politics was unacceptable. To prevent that from continuing, the U.S. and the E.U. will spend a lot of money rebuilding Ukraine; large sums will be American to keep Chinese money out.

Secondly, multiple American politicians involved in dealings with the Chinese are seal-clapping for more spending in Ukraine. This exuberance makes me pause. Are we repeating the same mistakes of the Global War on Terrorism? In many ways, yes.

The money absolutely would be better spent in America on Americans. Ending the Russo-Ukraine War quickly is also absolutely necessary for the United States. People are already starving worldwide, and it will get worse soon. Further instability draws us into needless intrigues and conflicts. We cannot have more grains from Ukraine and Russia not exported than the two to three planting seasons we are looking at losing. I do not see an alternative other than financing Ukraine. However, the utter abdication of basic prudence and statesmanship is abhorrent. Congress should be ashamed of how they passed this aid bill, but politicians are shameless.

Coming Food Shortages