All Ukraine All the Time, America Forgotten
By Joe Guzzardi
If only President Biden and Congress loved the U.S. with the same passion the federal government demonstrates toward Ukraine, then inflation-stricken, poorer-by-the-day taxpayers wouldn’t be saddled with $53.6 billion debt that has no ties to their national interest. While in South Korea, Biden signed a $40 billion emergency bill to help Ukraine defend its border against Russia’s incursion. The $40 billion, bumped up from Biden’s original $33 billion request, represents nearly three times the $13.6 billion that Congress approved in March for Ukrainian military and humanitarian aid.
Upon hearing the news that the huge U.S. funding package would be on the way, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “The war will be bloody, there will be more battles,” which translates to “more U.S. taxpayer money will have to be sent.” One thing is certain: another round of funding for Ukraine will be rushed through Congress without a meaningful exchange with Americans who deserve to know what’s really in these bills, how Ukraine accounts for the billions of dollars, if at all, and the net cost to beleaguered taxpayers to fund a faraway war with no end in sight, and without a defined, tangible mission.
Examples of how rushing into foreign entanglements went awry in Iraq and Afghanistan should be burned into the memories of Biden and members of Congress. A fact sheet that congressional Democrats distributed said that the funding will be used to assist Ukrainian military, national security forces and to provide weapons, equipment, training, logistics and intelligence support. But, to repeat, no one truly knows how the billions of dollars will be spent or who’s accountable.
Equally as troubling as the failure to learn from the past and a high likelihood of no accountability, the U.S. is sending money it doesn’t have. The nation’s current debt is $30.5 trillion or about $91,500 per every single person in the country. Not only is the U.S. “leadership” saddling its citizenry with an enormous debt burden, America’s Southwest border is wide open to all comers from countries near and far.
Taxpayers fund every aspect of the Southwest border invasion – housing, transportation and much more. While record-breaking 8.5 percent inflation has driven millions of low-income families to the brink, Americans watch on their nightly television news broadcasts the embarrassing spectacle of ranking congressional officials bowing and scraping to Zelenskyy. On separate trips, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell traveled to Ukraine with their respective delegations to express their support. Pelosi’s office sent what it described as an “unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine.” McConnell spoke about Ukraine’s defense of its sovereignty and its unity, ironic when the U.S. border remains open to foreign nationals, fentanyl-pushing drug cartels and human traffickers that earn $150 billionannually preying on the vulnerable.
The huge Ukraine funding packages made the headlines and drew the attention of many concerned, weary Americans. But in related news that provides enormous insight into where Congress’ priorities lay – hint: not with American citizens – look at the fine print in the “Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022” that authorized Ukraine’s $40 billion cash cow. Buried in the bill was a proposal to provide the 70,000 unvetted Afghan evacuees with green cards which would mean that, in all probability, they’ll never return home. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas improperly used parole to admit the unvetted Afghans into the U.S. The Immigration and Nationality Act permits parole to be granted only on a case-by-case basis, and not granted to 70,000 foreign nationals.
Green cards for Afghans were struck from the bill’s final language, but is certain to reappear in future legislation. In the meantime, another parole program, “Uniting for Ukraine,” sailed through. Congress allocated $900 million for a Ukrainian relief fund through September 20, 2023, for “Refugee Entrance and Assistance.” Tellingly, many Ukrainian parolees had already been safely resettled in Europe where they had received temporary immigration status, work permits and free healthcare. The Ukrainians had a good deal; now, the Biden administration has provided a better one.
Biden’s presidency is a bonanza for invading foreign nationals who Customs and Border Protection are forced to welcome. Drug traffickers and human smugglers, as well as Afghans and Ukrainians improperly paroled, are all welcome. Biden’s agenda excludes everyday Americans struggling to get along. Sixteen months into Biden’s presidency, most Americans would be encouraged to see the tiniest hint that the president cares about their futures, but they shouldn’t hold their breath.
PFIR analyst Joe Guzzardi writes about immigration issues and impacts. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.