Gaetz introduces 'Ukraine Fatigue' resolution

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced the “Ukraine Fatigue” Resolution on Thursday, continuing a recent push among a subset of Republican lawmakers who want to change course in Washington’s support for Ukraine. The resolution states that “the United States must end its military and financial aid to Ukraine, and urges all combatants to reach a peace agreement.” 

As of the time of writing, the resolution has ten co-sponsors: Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar  R-Ariz.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), and Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) 

“President Joe Biden must have forgotten his prediction from March 2022, suggesting that arming Ukraine with military equipment will escalate the conflict to ‘World War III.’ America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if we continue to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war. We must suspend all foreign aid for the War in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately,” Gaetz said in a statement. The resolution spells out the increases in financial aid and specific military equipment that have taken place in recent months.

As the resolution notes, the United States has been “top contributor of military aid to Ukraine compared to its counterparts,” having appropriated more than $110 billion in humanitarian, financial, and military aid. This includes more than $29 billion worth of security assistance. 

Earlier this week, Gaetz criticized President Joe Biden and a “bipartisan coalition” in Congress for dragging the U.S. into a war that was costing taxpayers and not advancing American interests. 

His resolution follows a letter sent by a group of Republican legislators in January that called for a “crosscutting report” from the Office of Management and Budget on the scale and scope of funding for Ukraine by February 7. When that deadline passed on Tuesday without such a report, Senator JD Vance (R-Ohio), who spearheaded the letter, released a statement saying “before President Biden spends another taxpayer dollar in Ukraine, he must lay out a clear plan for ending the conflict in a way that advances our national security interests. No more blank checks.”