7mo ago

Biden announces $2.5 billion in Ukraine defense assistance

abcnews.go.com

57 comments

The support will include both a $1.25 billion drawdown package for Ukraine's military and a $1.22 billion package authorized through the U.S. Department of Defense's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, according to Biden. The department has now used all funds allocated by Congress under that initiative, he added.
I'd say at least he did it even tho he waited till the last minute...
The U.S. Department of Defense will be delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets and hundreds of armored vehicles to Ukraine, Biden said, "which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into the winter."
But there's only 3 weeks till trump's in office, so I'll wait to see if the deliveries are made before celebrating
- I do at least have some hope that if Trump attempts to prevent it happening, he will do so by tweet and therefore be ignored by the actual people responsible for it
  
  It's the dictator's dilemma.
  The only people they want to work for them has to always tell them what they want to hear, and those are bad employees.
  So stuff like this, if trump even mentions it, someone will just tell him it's handled whether it is or not.
  I'd feel a lot more confident of good people stopped resigning and stayed to do what good they can, but trump ain't filling those spots with competent employees
In the meantime US homeless is at another all time high, which tops last years all time high. 18.1% higher than last years high of 12%
- I don't know how many times this needs to be explained, but this is not money. It is not stacks of cash we could use to hand out to the homeless, or to rent them apartments.
  This is war materiel. Artillery shells, vehicles, etc. It is assigned a dollar value. This is stuff we have sitting in warehouses, sometimes pretty old and in need of replacement anyway.
  I'm no fan of the military industrial complex, but these donations could even be seen as a way to create American jobs in American factories, building modern replacements for what is being sent.
- Wow it’s like the current “sow division” anti-US talking point
- Shut up; the economy's doing great by every metric politicians care about.
I'm all for helping Ukraine but it seems like a constant spit in the eye seeing our govt shell out billions of dollars worth of aid to other countries while our own citizens fight to survive this corporate hellscape that constricts us tighter and tighter by the second.
Edit: I'd love for someone to explain to me how it's not insulting to send billions to countries like Ukraine and Israel or wherever tf else when all that money could've been used to create federal programs that actually help American citizens like the homeless or literally anything like that.
- 60 billion is a drop in the bucket, the majority of which isn't cash, it's equipment that's been sitting and is no longer being used. That 60 billion is put back into our own economy because it means jobs are being made to replace said equipment. It's a win win for both sides. We're also the richest country on the planet, we have plenty to do what we need to here at home, but it's not getting done because of Ukraine, it's not getting done because we have politicians who are beholden to the rich oligarchs here.
  
  That 60 billion is put back into our own economy because it means jobs are being made to replace said equipment.
  Unironically arguing that our bloated military industrial complex is a good thing because trickle down theory. Centrists are Reaganites, one and all.
  We’re also the richest country on the planet, we have plenty to do what we need to here at home,
  And we have chosen not to.
  it’s not getting done because we have politicians who are beholden to the rich oligarchs here.
  But if we keep the oligarchs happy, it'll totally trickle down like daddy Reagan said.
  
  That kinda supports my argument though. It's not helping American citizens it's helping American oligarchs.
- Congress allocates, executive administrates.
  
  I don't understand what you're trying to say here.
- The aid we send to Ukraine is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of wealth we allow the ultra rich to hoard. Our wealth tax rates are already criminally low, and even on those the underfunded IRS fails to collect somewhere between $500 billion to a trillion every year.
  Our lack of a public safety net has nothing to do with foreign aid, and everything to do with our corrupt government doing everything it can to entrench the oligarchy.
  Edit, didn't think to source it until after I commented, looks like I sort of misremembered an old politico article, which is kind of a shitty source anyway--but everything other than the exact numbers I mentioned is still true
  Also, lumping Israel and Ukraine together as equally bad is ludicrous
  
  Is this comment coming from north of the border?
- In the scale of the US GDP this amount is nothing.
  The US spends easily 500x this on its citizens. Foreign aid is essential for America to maintain its place in the world order. This investment pays for itself a million times over through American foreign relations and trade.
  So to answer your question, this is not insulting because it's a tiny fraction of Americas budget and it will benefit America and its citizens.
  
  How is blowing up Palestinian people good for America? Like Ukraine is one thing as I've already stated but Israel is an entirely different beast (a genocidal beast at that).
  You say it's a tiny fraction of what we spend on our own citizens but then where is all that money going? Our billionaires are richer than ever meanwhile homelessness is at record highs since the fuckin depression.
  Make it make sense.
- I’m not feeling insulted. Not sure how to explain it.
- Yeah, I’m insulted too. Ukraine isn’t our problem. If we aren’t going to police ourselves, we shouldn't be policing the world.
  
  Funny how you brought up the country fighting against genocide but not the country fighting for it
All this while the homeless rate in the United States increased to 18%.
It shows were Biden's (and Senate Democrats) priorities are when he'd rather spend billions to shore up the American empire's expansion rather that spending less than half of that to help Americans who have no shelter, home, nor prospects.
- Again, not Biden. Congress
  
  That's even worse; it means that even the democrats in charge of the Senate have the same fucked up priorities along with Biden
- The number for January 2024 is 18.1% higher than in 2023.
  By 18%, not to 18%
- “American empire’s expansion,” LOL.
  make sure you don’t mention the fact that it is Russia that invaded Ukraine, claimed its territory, and expects to rule it.
- The US homeless rate is around 0.2%, not 18%
- The united states has funded its military to be capable of fighting a two front war with both Russia and China. We already spend hundreds of billions every year building and stationing equipment and troops in Europe and NATO allies.
  Ukraine has been doing all of that for us for YEARS.
- They care for empire more than they do its citizens. And I'm going to bet most of the people that are down voting you are also struggling financially while defending our country ignoring them.
  
  I agree with your first sentence in general, but this is not giving money that could better be used to help the homeless. This is giving equipment that is sitting in warehouses. This equipment is assigned a dollar value.
  Let's say we could somehow sell this stuff and convert it to money, then it could be used to help the homeless right? Also wrong in this case. It has been allocated by Congress to help Ukraine. It cannot be used otherwise.
  
  yes, i've learned not to bother responding to liberals on liberal territory. i'm not responsible for; nor capable of; educating anyone.
  
  what we need are some projects or communist style brutalist block buildings. Those worked well in the past!

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