Trump shoots down ‘blank check’ for Ukraine

With Ukrainian President Zelensky recently in DC, it is no surprise that funding packages are being discussed.

While I have never really had an issue with supporting Ukraine, I do have a problem with the lack of accountability, as do many others. So, when Zelensky starts throwing a number like $90 billion, it gets my attention.

Where is it?

Since the very beginning of this war, aid has been disappearing in Ukraine.

This, as Joe Biden would say, is not hyperbole, and you can check it on your own. Zelensky fired numerous people when it was revealed they had sticky fingers.

Even then, our government continued to send aid and write checks without any accountability as to where that money is going.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) has been on this from the outset, having stated, "I think the majorities on both sides of the aisle support this effort.

“I think everybody has a voice in Congress. And the fact is, we are going to provide more oversight, transparency and accountability. We're not going to write a blank check."

New package

I was not exactly surprised to hear of a new package being put together for Ukraine with all the heads of state in the same room.

According to the report, a $90 billion package is going to be purchased by the EU for Ukraine, but I will believe that when I see that check trading hands.

Zelensky also stated that the United States had agreed to buy Ukrainian-made drones, which will help with the country’s cash flow.

The United States has, and the number is not even close, been the primary funder of this war, and that needs to stop. Zelensky had all that support at the table during the talks with Trump, so how about they start to open their checkbooks?

Not anymore

After that funding report surfaced, I was glad to see the White House take the issue head-on.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, "He made it very clear that we're not going to continue writing blank checks to fund a war very far away, which is why he came up with a very creative solution to have NATO purchase American weaponry, because it is the best in the world, and then to backfill the needs of the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people in their military.”

She then added, "So that's the solution the president has come up with. We'll continue to see that forward. As for any additional sales, I'll have to refer you to the Department of Defense."

Again, I don’t want to see Ukraine fall, especially now that we have a vested interest in the country’s minerals. But I also don’t want to see the country continue to pour money into a war without accountability. Democrats always talk about people paying their fair share, then how about pressing our NATO allies to buck up.