Staff Reports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must be praying harder than a college student cramming for finals, as the potential end of his U.S.-funded payday looms like a dark cloud over Kiev. Before the grim prospect of involuntary fiscal diet kicks in, President Joe Biden is gearing up to hand Zelenskyy a mighty $6 billion military aid package, in what appears to be a frantic attempt to shield Ukraine from a financial reckoning that might come with a Trump revival in the White House come January 2025.
The Biden-Harris administration is in panic mode, whispering about sending cash and military supplies quicker than a kid trying to finish their homework before bedtime. With the prospect of a GOP-controlled Congress looming large, Biden’s aides foresee a catastrophic halt to Ukraine’s financial lifeline, something Zelenskyy has been begging for like a kid at a candy store for two solid years now. Folks in power, who clearly don’t trust Trump to stick to their lavish funding plans, insist this money matters before the Republicans start counting every penny.
But here’s the kicker: the administration is realizing that they’re up against a ticking clock. Normally, shipments of military assistance take longer than a Saturday night waiting for your dinner to be delivered. Anything announced now might not even arrive until well into a Trump administration, which could very well slam the brakes on any further support while it organizes its own priorities. Joe and his crew seem to be racing against time, trying to stuff the Ukrainian war machine with military hardware before someone yells, “taxpayer dollars!”
Gotta get that last bit of grift before he’s put out to pasture. Biden Plans to Expedite Billions to Ukraine Before Trump Inauguration https://t.co/uhEoDFUiB8
— A.C. Spollen (@ACSpollen) November 8, 2024
As Politico noted in its report, the attempt to keep the Ukraine aid machine humming faces some significant hurdles. The U.S. is stuck sending weapons that are currently on hand, rather than going on a shopping spree. The Pentagon has already received $61 billion in taxpayer funding, but shockingly, there’s only $4.3 billion left to pull from existing stockpiles. That’s right—after months of funneling funds, there’s barely enough to keep a picnic going; just $2.1 billion left to buy new goodies. It’s like going to a buffet and realizing all the good stuff is already gone.
Former DOD budget official Mark Cancian chimed in with reality checks about just how much of a jam the administration is in. While they could theoretically dig into the Pentagon’s arsenal and speed things up, it doesn’t seem like military readiness is at the top of the priority list for these folks. With countless promises made and billions spent, Biden’s big gamble is starting to look more like a game of musical chairs—a chaotic scramble to fill seats before the music stops, and Zelenskyy is left without his precious aid.
And while the Biden administration attempts to paint the situation in positive colors, history shows they’ve sent over a whopping $175 billion to Ukraine, which has only served to stoke the flames of a conflict that some are beginning to think could have been cut off at the pass. President-elect Trump has boldly stated he’d solve this mess “within 24 hours,” suggesting that a more pragmatic approach might have spared American taxpayers from footing the bill for this seemingly interminable war. So, as the clock ticks down to 2025, it’s clear that the race is on—who can wrangle the most money out of the U.S. system before the party is over?
