GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy released a statement calling on federal lawmakers to vote against President Joe Biden’s request for Congress to fund an lump aid package for both Ukraine and Israel.
On Friday, the White House announced the details of Biden’s $105 billion funding request, with the majority of the funding – $61.4 billion – intended for Ukraine and just $14.3 billion intended for Israel. Also included in the request is approximately $14 billion for efforts to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ramaswamy called Biden’s request “ill-conceived on multiple levels.”
“The U.S. is currently drowning in a $33 trillion national debt problem, caused in part by $6.5 trillion wasted in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,” the presidential hopeful said. “The cost of funding the Ukraine war will not be limited simply to the next $61 billion infusion that Biden proposes now but serial further involvement in a war against Russia that does not advance U.S. interests and increases the risk of major conflict with a nuclear power, at a time when we should instead focus on negotiating a reasonable path to peace in Ukraine while weakening the Russia-China alliance that represents a true threat to U.S. interests.”
The GOP candidate then pivoted to Israel, saying the country must identify “clear objectives for success in Gaza and a coherent plan for what comes after toppling Hamas” in order to continue receiving U.S. support resources.
“Meanwhile, Israel is barreling toward a potentially catastrophic ground invasion of Gaza without clear objectives. ‘Destroy Hamas’ is not on its own a viable or coherent strategy. Instead, Israel is likely to invite attacks from Hezbollah in the north, which would almost surely draw the U.S. into a prolonged all-out regional war in the Middle East that does not advance American interests,” Ramaswamy added. “The U.S. should be clear with Israel that further U.S. support is contingent on Israel identifying clear objectives for success in Gaza and a coherent plan for what comes after toppling Hamas, even if Israel is successful in doing so. As of now, these critical questions remain unanswered.”
“Biden’s pathetic gambit to conflate Ukraine, Israel, and U.S. border funding requests is a ploy to evade debate on the merits at a time when we need open debate more than ever. I call on lawmakers in both parties to vote NO on this disastrous proposal,” Ramaswamy said.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Vivek Ramaswamy” by Vivek Ramaswamy.
