Ukraine aid benefits arms industry, not US economy

Will the United States renew its funding for Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia? Congress is having difficulty deciding the answer to this question, with Republicans still committed to withholding consent until President Biden agrees to bolster security at the U.S.-Mexico border. With political support for Ukraine looking shaky, the White House is nervous — and rightly so.

In a drive to convince lawmakers of the necessity to arm Ukraine, President Biden last year took to emphasizing the economic benefits for communities across the United States. The intuition behind this strategy was that many voters might wrongly assume that “aid to Ukraine” means wiring huge sums of money to bank accounts in Kyiv.

In fact, much of America’s military aid comes in the form of in-kind contributions, such as arms and ammunition taken from existing U.S. stockpiles. If Congress votes to finance more support for Ukraine, the lion’s share of this funding will go to domestic firms tasked with replenishing the Pentagon’s own armories.

Viewed in this light, aid to Ukraine starts to look a lot more attractive to people who adopt a narrow definition of the national interest. Who could oppose billions of dollars being allocated to U.S.-based businesses and their workers?

Read article in Responsible Statecraft