Now no time to give up on Ukraine

Typically, the longer a war drags on, the more difficult it is to capture public sympathy. That seems to be the case for Russia’s war in Ukraine. When Congress approved a stopgap funding bill to keep the U.S. government operating, it failed to include ongoing funding for Ukraine’s defense of its country and its people. Now as Republicans in Washington try to figure out who is going to lead their party following the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the politics of war is becoming more prominent. Potential speaker Jim Jordan has already said that if elected to the post he wouldn’t be seeking more U.S. aid for Ukraine. Possible Speaker Steve Scalise has been ambivalent about continued U.S. funding for the war. Yes, providing military aid to Ukraine is expensive. So is letting Ukraine lose to the Russians. While the U.S. is the biggest donor to Ukraine’s war efforts, the amount spent so far is less than one percent of all federal spending and less than give percent of the U.S. defense budget. Providing Ukraine is in our national security interests and should not become a political football. If Vladimir Putin is able to capture Ukraine, that would certainly lead to a wider conflict, and a much more expensive one.