As Washington pledges continued financial support to Kyiv to help fight off Russian aggression, close to half of the U.S. public thinks the country is spending too much on aid to Ukraine, according to polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The sentiment exists primarily among Republicans, which helps explain the increasing opposition among conservative GOP lawmakers to the Biden administration’s efforts to approve further Ukraine aid, arguing that the money would be better spent for domestic priorities.
Nevertheless, the latest AP-NORC poll shows that the opposition to aid is down slightly from last month. Currently, 45 percent of respondents think the U.S. government is spending too much on aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, compared with 52 percent in Oct. That shift appears to come mostly from Republicans: 59 percent now say too much is spent on Ukraine aid, which is down ten percent from Oct.
38 percent of U.S. adults believe the U.S. is currently spending “about the right amount” through various channels in Ukraine, which is up 7 percent. With Republicans, nearly 3 in 10 agree, compared to 2 in 10 last month.
About half of the American public endorses supplying weapons to Ukraine (57 percent of Democrats, and 42 percent of Republicans).
53 percent of Democrats believe that Ukraine is an ally that shares U.S. interests and values, compared to 28 percent for independents and 29 percent for Republicans. Nevertheless, about half of Republicans see Ukraine as a partner the United States should cooperate with.
The biggest difference between Democrats and Republicans showed itself in how they feel about sending government money directly to Ukraine, with 54 percent of Democrats approving, but only 24 percent of Republicans.
With the Pentagon’s military budget for 2023 nearly exhausted, the White House has been repeatedly pressing lawmakers to pass Biden’s nearly $106 billion emergency spending package proposed in Oct.—$61 billion of which would go to the war in Ukraine.
The remaining $45 billion would be distributed among various other priorities, such as aid for Israel as it battles the Hamas terrorist group, money for various efforts in the Indo-Pacific region, and additional resources to help manage illegal immigration at the southern border.
In an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged that U.S. support would continue “for the long haul.”
That message was confirmed during a Monday press briefing at the White House.
“As President Biden has said, when aggressors don’t pay a price for their aggression, they’ll cause more chaos and death and destruction,” said John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council. “They just keep on going, and the cost and the threats to America and to the world will keep rising.”
Congress has blocked the Biden administration’s efforts at bolstering Ukraine support at least twice in recent months. First, it ignored a roughly $40 billion supplemental request before a Sept. 30 funding deadline. Then last week, it passed a stopgap funding measure to keep the government operating through early next year—though the package did not include additional aid to Ukraine.
In the Senate, a small bipartisan group is working on legislation that would combine fresh Ukraine assistance with stricter border measures to address the Republican complaint that the White House has prioritized needs abroad over pressing domestic issues.
These lawmakers say they will continue to work on the Ukraine–Southern border package over the Thanksgiving break.
A broad majority of senators remains supportive of Ukraine aid, with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell being one of the staunchest supporters—despite the opposition in his party.
Much depends on what the House will decide, where Speaker Mike Johnson—who has spoken in broad terms of the need to counter Russian aggression—will face lawmakers of his own party who strongly oppose continued support for Kyiv.
Though in principle not opposed to continued Ukraine aid, Speaker Johnson has made it clear that additional spending on Ukraine must be paired with tougher border measures, although it is far from certain that any immigration agreement that clears the Democrat-led Senate would be approved by the GOP-controlled House.
The poll also inquired about how Americans feel about the United States’ role on the world stage. 45 percent now believe the United States should take “a less active role” in solving the world’s problems, compared to 33 percent of respondents to a September poll from AP-NORC and Pearson. Just 16 percent of Democrats now say the U.S. should take a more active role, down from 29 percent in September.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
