Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he is “tired of hearing” about funding for the war in Ukraine.
As Congress works to pass some form of a government funding deal ahead of its Sept. 30 deadline, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are set to host an all-senators meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday to discuss the United States’s continued support of Ukraine.
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“We shouldn’t be spending a dime more on Ukraine. We need an accounting of every dime that has been spent so far. And I’m just tired of hearing the president say over and over that we have got to invest — this is an investment in the future of every nation,” Hawley told The Ingraham Angle. “What about our nation? It’s not an investment in our future, in our people, in our jobs. That needs to be the priority.”
While some lawmakers see the continued sending of funds and aid to Ukraine as a means of defense against Russia and standing up against China’s influence in the world, Hawley said going into greater debt is not the correct response.
“If you want to deter China, then get tough with China. Slap tariffs on China. Bring back our jobs from China," the Missouri Republican said. "Stop them from treating our laborers like slave labor and driving down our wages and stealing our technology. That’s how you get tough on China. Not by spending money in Ukraine."
“So, I just don’t get it. If you want to spend money on Ukraine, tell me why Ukraine is important. Don’t tell me it’s about China. That’s in a completely different hemisphere for heaven’s sake," Hawley continued. "I mean, come on now, let’s focus on the real issue here, which is that we need to invest in this nation and we need to deter China. And we’re not doing that by investing or spending money in Ukraine.”
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Hawley said the Biden administration’s latest request of sending $24 billion to Ukraine signals there is no “end game.”
“They want us to be writing checks to Ukraine, direct to their government, forever — year after year, hundreds of billions of dollars. That is ridiculous. For what? What’s the strategy? What’s the end game? They don’t have one. It’s nothing but nation building. It is nothing but failing to invest in the United States,” he added. “We have stop. This is crazy.”