There has clearly been a shift in public sentiment when it comes to additional funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Shortly after the invasion, most (though not all) American voters seemed to be ready to back Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. Joe Biden quickly jumped in on the same side, perhaps a bit too heavily, declaring a policy of “as much as it takes for as long as it takes.” But now, according to a new survey from the Associated Press and NORC, support for the next traunch of funding for Zelensky and company has broken down along party lines. A majority of Democrats say that America is spending “too little” in this regard, while a similar majority of Republicans say that we’re already spending “too much.” The blame for the lack of action is being squarely placed on the shoulders of the House GOP. (Associated Press)
As Russia makes battlefield advances and Ukrainian soldiers run short on ammunition, U.S. adults have become fractured along party lines in their support for sending military aid to Kyiv, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Democrats are more likely to say the U.S. government is spending “too little” on funding for Ukraine than they were in November, but most Republicans remain convinced it’s “too much.” That divide is reflected in Congress, where the Democratic-held Senate — with help from 22 GOP senators — passed a $95 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this month. But the bill, which includes roughly $60 billion in military support for Kyiv, has languished in the Republican-held House as Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to bring it up for a vote.
Independents broke down nearly even in the survey, with slightly less than half saying we are spending too little. Perhaps surprisingly, one of the more popular reasons given for supporting additional funding was that it would be good for the American economy. One voter explained that they believed most of the money would be spent on American weapons, cleaning out our older stockpiles and ordering new replacements.
One of the larger drivers of decreased support for additional Ukraine aid appears to be Donald Trump. He’s expressed skepticism over the Senate foreign aid bill and is taking a decidedly more isolationist, America-first approach to the issue. Some Republicans who answered the survey quoted Trump and appeared to agree with him.
Somewhat ironically, while he’s taking all of the heat for this, Speaker Johnson hasn’t even ruled out some additional funding for Zelensky. All he’s said is that the border crisis is America’s top priority and that needs to be addressed first. He’s using the only tool that the GOP has at its disposal for now, that being the power of the purse. If Joe Biden relents and fully closes the border, a vote on the Senate aid bill will likely follow shortly thereafter, or possibly a revised House version of it.
Meanwhile, support for aid to Israel remains strong across the board, with the exception of the pro-Hamas liberals in Congress and on America’s college campuses. Yet all of the members of Congress complaining about the aid for Ukraine are unwilling to move forward with a standalone bill to help Israel. It appears that Democrats are increasingly out of step with the priorities of the public. We shall find out in November if that translates to a shift in support for the leftist cause.
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