On Monday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) joined Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) in writing a letter to Senate Leadership requesting that any federal assistance to Israel not be leveraged for more Ukraine funding. President Joe Biden recently requested $61.4 billion more for Ukraine paired with $14.3 billion for Israel. Sen. Tuberville said that he stands unequivocally with Israel but does not support one more dime in assistance for Ukraine.
“We write today in the wake of over 1,400 Israeli civilians and at least 30 American citizens having been killed over the last week after brutal Hamas terrorists invaded Israel,” the Senators wrote. “In response to these developments, it is critical we give prompt consideration to any request for financial aid or other material support requested by Israel. Based on the breadth of responses from members of Congress, there is a shared urgency to consider such a request.”
“That being said, we know there will no doubt be efforts to attach any funding to Israel to more aid to Ukraine, in excess of the already $113 billion Congress has provided to Ukraine,” the Senators continued. “These are two separate and unrelated conflicts, and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line.”
“Furthermore, it would be irresponsible, and we should not risk a government shutdown by bundling these priorities together and thus complicating the process and lessening the likelihood of a funding package,” the Senators wrote. “We urge you to keep separate attempts to provide military aid to Israel from additional funds to Ukraine or other matters.”
The letter was also signed by Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
Because neither House of Congress has passed a budget, the federal government is operating on a continuing resolution (CR) to give the parties time to finish their work and negotiate a bipartisan budget that can pass both Houses. Little work has been accomplished on that, though, and the current CR will run out on November 14 at midnight. The Hamas attack on Israel, a longtime American ally, has created a need not anticipated in the CR or any budget package. The Ukrainian offensive has broken through some Russian lines, but at significant cost to the Ukrainians, both in men and material costs. Tuberville has long urged a negotiated settlement of the Ukraine war and has not supported past Ukraine aid packages.
“The war in Ukraine is a disaster for the United States,” Tuberville told Alabama Today in April. “We jumped in all four feet, knowing that we didn’t have enough munitions to help Ukraine. We don’t want to put boots on the ground. I am all for Ukraine, but you have got to have an opportunity to win, and we don’t have one person that has any insight in terms of diplomacy from this White House or this administration. Secretary [Antony] Blinken has done zero.”
In his address to the nation on Thursday, the President tied the two emergency appropriation requests together.
“American leadership is what holds the world together,” Biden said. “American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with. To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it’s just not worth it. That’s why, tomorrow, I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs, to support our critical partners, including Israel and Ukraine. It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations, help us keep American troops out of harm’s way, help us build a world that is safer, more peaceful, and more prosperous for our children and grandchildren.”
U.S. arms stockpiles are low due to 32 months of supplying the Ukrainian army with weapons and munitions. Arms manufacturers are struggling to keep up with the demand. Hamas has started a war with Israel – a U.S. ally- so they will be buying arms and munitions. Iran appears to be behind the Hamas and Hezbollah attacks and appears to be promoting a wider Middle East war – which could potentially lead to U.S. involvement, and the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan means that the U.S. lacks that foothold on the Iran border to threaten Tehran. Meanwhile, Taiwan – which the U.S. has promised to defend – is trying to build up its armed forces due to a heightened risk of a Chinese invasion. A Russian attack on any NATO border, whether that be Romania, Poland, Finland, or the Baltic States, would require an American troop response. Meanwhile, the U.S. is struggling to keep up with the Russians and Chinese in hypersonic missile and anti-satellite warfare technology, China has surpassed the U.S. in naval ships and intercontinental ballistic missile launchers, and the all-volunteer force is not meeting its recruiting goals. And with $33 trillion in debt, the U.S. is not fiscally in a place where it could fight a prolonged war without severe changes to the economy and U.S. entitlement programs.
Tuberville is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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