Is the United States losing its will to continue aiding Ukraine in its war with Russia? It seems to be heading that way, as Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) appeared on Fox News's Ingraham Angle to discuss growing dissatisfaction with the apparent lack of strategy by the Biden Administration to end the conflict and the limited response from the rest of Europe.
"Biden has screwed this up," Rep. Waltz said bluntly, "Deterrence failed on the front end, then he refused to give them what they needed to actually win. I mean, he dragged his feet on everything from Patriots (missiles) to tanks to planes. And then now he has basically backed us into a stalemate and will not come to Congress or the American people with a strategy. "For how long are we going to be in this? What is in our interest?"
Additionally, Rep. Waltz pointed out that only nine of NATO's 31 constituent countries have committed to spending 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense and military spending. Moreover, domestic problems within the United States, such as gas prices, inflation, and the border, are thinning America's patience as we continue sending money to Ukraine.
Host Laura Ingraham agreed, saying that if the Russian invasion of Ukraine genuinely threatened the West, more of Europe would contribute. Similarly, certain members of Congress seem more concerned with Ukraine than they do with the United States. From here, she suggested more Republican voters are in favor of America First policies and asked if Senate Republicans are showing leadership in advancing America First goals.
"I think what the American people want to see right now from Senate leadership is getting our border under control and fighting to do that. And that is exactly what we are going to send from the House over to the Senate with these funding packages. But I can just say one other thing for the Democrats and for Biden: if you have any questions about funding in the Ukraine war, if you want to see a strategy, if you want to know how long this is going to go, if you want to see real burden sharing, then you do not support democracy is an insult to them, it is an insult to the American people, and it is an insult to me," Waltz answered.
Waltz clarified that supporting Ukraine's war effort did not mean he favored throwing money at them forever, only that he supported "giving them what they need to win right up front and end this thing rather than drag things out. One thing we want to clarify is that it is not bags of cash; it is military hardware. Give them the tanks, the planes they need up front, and win it. But now, because he slow-rolled all of this, it is going to get drug out; he is backing us into an endless war. And then he wants us to keep going to the American people and say, "keep digging deeper into your pockets."
