Florida has received more than $1 billion to produce weapons for Ukraine amid opposition from one of the state’s most high-profile members of Congress.
The United States has provided Ukraine with more than $75 billion in assistance since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his “special military operation” in February 2022. Western aid is attributed to helping Ukraine turn the tide of the war in the country’s favor, blocking Russian troops from making substantial gains but has divided Republicans back home. Some conservatives say the aid is beneficial to U.S. security interests, as it kneecaps Putin’s military abilities. Other conservatives, however, argue the funds should instead be spent domestically or to strengthen the U.S.-Mexico border.
Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz has been one of the most vocal proponents of curbing aid to Ukraine. In February, he introduced a House resolution called the “Ukraine Fatigue Resolution” to end all aid to the country fighting a full-scale invasion by Russia. He has said defunding Ukraine should be a top priority of the federal government to cut defense spending.
Despite his opposition to aid for Ukraine, his home state has benefited economically from Ukraine aid packages, according to a new map released by the Department of Defense (DOD).
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Florida received roughly $1.1 billion to produce weapons for Ukraine as of November 22, according to the map showing Ukraine aid investments by state.
These funds come from two places—the presidential drawdown authority, which allows the DOD to deliver support by drawing down department stocks, and the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the DOD to contract new equipment from the defense industry, according to the DOD.
USAI received $9.3 billion from the Department of Defense’s 2022-2023 appropriations bill, opposed by conservatives such as Gaetz, according to a House Appropriations Committee overview of the bill.
Newsweek reached out to Gaetz’s office for comment via email.
Gaetz previously told Newsweek why he believes the U.S. should end aid to Ukraine.
“America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if we continue to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war,” he said. “We must suspend all foreign aid for the War in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately,” he said.
Florida is among the states to receive the most amount of money to produce Ukraine aid, but other states have received more. Arkansas, for instance, has received $2.34 billion, while Arizona has received $2.08 billion, according to the map.
Politico reported that the White House circulated the map as President Joe Biden seeks additional funding for both Ukraine and Israel, which has been engaged in a war with Hamas after the group attacked it by land, air, and sea on October 7, 2023.
Biden has requested roughly $106 billion in aid, including $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel, $13.6 billion for securing the U.S.-Mexico border and $7.4 billion for Taiwan, which has faced a growing threat from China. An additional $9.15 billion would go toward humanitarian efforts.
His request has been met with opposition from some conservative Republican members of Congress, 93 of whom voted in September to block all military aid to Ukraine. Some Republicans have said this aid should be split up, and it has not made progress for weeks as Congress continues to debate whether Ukraine should receive more U.S. aid, as it continues battling Russia for control of its eastern territory.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.