This article was published on Dec. 15, 2023 From the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the U.S. government has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine’s war effort. The Biden administration has repeatedly produced emergency spending packages to support the Ukrainian government and military. That funding has so far amounted to US$113 billion.

But public opinion polls suggest that Americans’ support for Ukraine was waning even before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war drew international attention away from Ukraine.

Political scientist Jessica Trisko Darden, author of “Aiding and Abetting: U.S. Foreign Assistance and State Violence,” explains how recent efforts by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to hold up aid to Ukraine reflects the perception that the U.S. is spending too much money on Ukraine at the expense of other domestic priorities, such as increased security at the U.S. southern border.

So far, the U.S. has approved about $113 billion in aid to Ukraine through four supplemental emergency appropriations, which are a way of requesting funds outside of the normal budgetary process. The majority of this aid has been for military purposes.

The more than $62.3 billion provided in military assistance includes at least $23.5 billion worth of U.S. weapons from the Department of Defense. In contrast, about $3 billion has been for humanitarian assistance.

Advocates for increased U.S. aid have pointed out that much of the military assistance to Ukraine actually supports the U.S. defense industry. Those advocates also argue that the war in Ukraine is devastating Russia’s military assets, and the current approach is much cheaper than facing an expansionist Russia.

But critics argue that the unprecedented amounts of U.S. military aid to Ukraine are draining U.S. military stockpiles and potentially degrading military readiness.

Others have called for additional oversight for aid to Ukraine, given the country’s history of government corruption.

The current request before the House includes $105 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the U.S. southern border, with more than $61 billion of the package for Ukraine.

In comparison, $6.4 billion is being requested for U.S. border operations.

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