It’s NOT just for weapons, ammo and combat vehicles….
It’s a investment that is helping the Ukraine survive and move closer from Russia to the West…
And it seem’s that American lawmakers are NOT gonna stop that money like some RightWingNuts want to….
The Below piece on a ’60 Minutes’ story spotlight’s a few US Senator’s and other officals, from both parties in the Ukraine to get a view on the ground of where the Billions of American aid dollars are going….
The U.S. has sent more than $70 billion worth of aid to Ukraine since Russian troops crossed its border last year. But now a battle is brewing in Washington over the Biden administration’s request for over $20 billion more.
Many Republicans in Congress are opposed – hardliners in the House want to cut off all funding; others are demanding more oversight.
We went to Ukraine to get some answers for the people who are bankrolling the war: American taxpayers. How exactly is your money being spent? And who’s watching the weapons and the cash to make sure they end up where they’re intended?…
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American taxpayers are financing more than just weapons. We discovered the U.S. government’s buying seeds and fertilizer for Ukrainian farmers… and covering the salaries of Ukraine’s first responders – all 57,000 of them.
That includes the team that trains this rescue dog – named Joy – to comb through the wreckage of Russian strikes looking for survivors.
And the U.S. also funds the divers who we saw clearing unexploded ammunition from the country’s rivers – to make them safe again for swimming and fishing.
Russia’s invasion shrank Ukraine’s economy by about a third. We were surprised to find that to keep it afloat the U.S. government is subsidizing small businesses…
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In total, America’s pumped nearly $25 billion of non-military aid into Ukraine’s economy since the invasion began – and you can see it working at the bustling farmers market on John McCain Street in central Kyiv.
The late senator is revered in Ukraine because he pushed the U.S. government to start sending arms to the country after Russia first invaded – back in 2014.
While in Kyiv, we learned that three of McCain’s former colleagues were also in town: Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. They don’t normally agree on much – together, though, they’re some of the staunchest supporters of U.S. funding for Ukraine’s resistance.
Sen. Lindsey Graham: They’re on track to break the Russian army, and the only way they could possibly lose is if we pull the plug on them….
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Sen. Lindsey Graham: People ask me, “Is it worth it?” Here’s what we’ve gotten for our investment. We haven’t lost one soldier. We reduced the combat power of the Russian army by 50%, and not one of us has died in that endeavor. This is a great deal for America.
Holly Williams: You’ve previously said that it’s the best money we’ve ever spent. That still true?
Sen. Lindsey Graham: Since we helped Churchill stand up to the Nazis.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: We have to have confidence that the dollars we’re spending are actually being spent in defense of the nation. All of that is important. But that’s why we’re here.
The senators – and other U.S officials – told us there have been no substantiated cases of American weapons being diverted….