On Friday, the Biden administration announced it would be sending an additional $400 million in aid to Ukraine to assist in its fight against the Russian invasion.
According to a press release from the Department of Defense (DoD), the $400 million package includes four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and additional ammunition for HIMARS; three tactical Vehicles to recover equipment; 155mm artillery ammunition; demolition munitions; counter-battery systems; spare parts and other equipment.
The package is the 15th package of military weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine from the U.S. Defense Department since last August. According to The Washington Post, the “U.S. has sent about $7.3 billion in aid to Ukraine since the war began in late February.”
In May, Biden signed a massive $40 billion Ukraine aid package that included military and humanitarian aid. At the time, Republican Senator Rand Paul (KY) attempted to block the bill and warned that it would further worsen inflation in the United States, which was at 8.3% at the time – inflation has since risen to 8.6%.
“We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy,” Paul said. “Inflation doesn’t just come out of nowhere, it comes from deficit spending.”
“If this gift to Ukraine passes, our total aid to Ukraine will almost equal the entire military budget of Russia. And it’s not as if we have that money lying around, we will have to borrow that money from China to send it to Ukraine,” Paul noted.
