The last time the United States gave Europe such substantial financial backing, President Harry Truman was trying to rebuild a continent ravaged by the Second World War.
It was 1947, and the Democrat was trying to persuade a weary population mourning the deaths of 470,000 American troops that other countries destroyed by war needed aid to rebuild and fight off the ongoing threat from Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union.
The United States would provide support in the form of the $13 billion Marshall Plan – which was worth $160 billion in today’s money – and the Truman Doctrine.
Seventy-five years on, the Biden administration and Congress have now set aside a similarly staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer funds for Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight.
The bill on the first anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion confirms the U.S. is by far the world’s biggest contributor to Volodymyr Zelensky’s war effort – followed by the UK and European Union – and the White House has signaled support will continue.
But Americans are starting to wonder where the money goes, how it is being spent, and if it the cost of the aid is worth it.
The Biden administration and Congress has set aside a staggering $113 billion in American taxpayer funds for Ukraine in a conflict that has no end in sight
Public sentiment has started to drop, and Republicans are now warning they will audit all the money that has been sent to Kyiv to make sure it hasn’t been wasted.
The GOP believes accelerated financial packages – similar to those approved during the COVID pandemic – are open to mismanagement or abuse.
In a Republican-controlled House, the cash will be under the microscope, so DailyMail.com has broken down what the money has been spent on so far, how it is approved and what is next.
THE $46 BILLION IN AID ON DRONES, TANKS AND MILITARY HARDWARE
The huge support package – three times more than what the U.S. spent in Afghanistan in a year – is dominated by the $46.6 billion in military equipment and support.
The total is by far the biggest of all Western allies, with the UK in second giving $5.1 billion since the start of the invasion and the EU handing over $3.3billion.
The American package has so far included 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems, a Patriot air defense battery, 20 Mi-17 helicopters, 31 Abrams tanks and 700 Switchblade drones.
109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 75,000 sets of body armor and helmets, 38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket systems, and 4,000 Zuni aircraft rockets have also been sent over.
Military analysts believe the Western hardware has been essential in helping Ukrainian forces keep the Russians at bay.
And Zelensky wants more, including fighter jets. There has been a push from both Republicans and Democrats to provide F-16s.
But the Biden administration has been hesitant to provide more firepower fearing Putin would see it as a sign of escalation.
Former acting Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Nathan Sales told DailyMail.com: ‘The Biden administration needs to do more. It must help Ukraine win, not just fight to a draw.
‘That means providing long range missiles, more tanks, fighter jets, and air defense systems.
‘Time is not on our side — the longer the war lasts, the harder it will be for Western allies to stay united, and the more likely the Chinese Communist Party will be emboldened by an inconclusive stalemate to launch its own war of aggression against Taiwan.’
The rest of the United States’ financial assistance covers funds for humanitarian and financial aid such as food, safe drinking water and medical supplies.
There is also money to support refugee programs for the vast number of Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, more than half the funds will have been spent by the end of 2024 and three-quarters will have been used by the end of 2026.
‘The Americans are setting the pace in supporting Ukraine,’ Christoph Trebesch, the head of the Ukraine Support Tracker team at the Kiel Institute said.
‘The Europeans’ hesitancy in the first year of the war is a remarkable phenomenon, especially since financial resources can be quickly mobilized,’ he added.
‘This is shown, for example, by the vast amount of funds that EU governments mobilized to cushion the energy price shock at home.’
HOW AMERICANS ARE BEGINNING TO QUESTION THE AID BEING SENT TO UKRAINE – AND HOW SUPPORT FOR CONTINUED FUNDS IS DWINDLING
Biden announced $500 million more in assistance during his secret trip to Kyiv on Monday, and has shown no signs of stopping the money flowing until Ukraine achieves
But American support for sending a constant supply of weapons and necessities has dropped in recent months, and questions are being asked about the finances.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted between February 6 and 13 found 58 percent of Americans approved of military support, compared to 73 percent in April 2022.
On January 31, results of a PEW Research poll showed the share of Americans saying the U.S. was giving to much support to Ukraine had grown to 26 percent from 7 percent in March 2022.
President Biden has three methods at his disposal to provide direct aid to Ukraine: The Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), and Foreign Military Financing (FMF).
Joe Biden is pictured on Monday in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian counterpart Zelensky. The U.S. President pledged another $500 million aid and signalled financial support would continue for a war that has no end in sight
The last time the United States gave a Europe such substantial financial backing, President Harry Truman was trying to rebuild a continent ravaged by the Second World War
For example, Biden has used the PDA 29 times since Russia invaded, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
This involves delivering supplies from the U.S. military’s own arsenal. Last May, Congress passed setting a $11billon limit on equipment for Biden to use through the PDA.
Biden utilized the authority to send $9.2 billion – or roughly 84 percent – worth of supplies from the U.S. stockpiles.
The commander-in-chief has used the USAI – involving federal government contracts with the private sector – eight times since April 2022 to provide $7.2 billion in support.
The FMF replenishes the stockpiles of NATO allies, and Biden has used that three times to hand over $3.1billion of support.
When pressed about continued aid on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden is ‘going to focus on what the American people want to focus on.’
‘We have seen bipartisan support when it comes to Ukraine aid,’ Jean Pierre said and pointed out that Republicans have also visited the war-torn country since the invasion.
GOP investigators have said they will keep an eye on where the money is going, while a faction of the party has called for aid to be drastically reduced.
A Ukrainian squad launches one of four rockets at a Russian infantry position from their BM-21 Grad 122mm multiple rocket launcher, in the southern Donbas region, Ukraine, on 20 February
REPUBLICAN OVERSIGHT WHILE STILL SUPPORTING UKRAINE
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer said: ‘Since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago, Congress has provided more than $113 billion for security, humanitarian, economic, and governance assistance.
‘It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse.
‘The Committee seeks documents and information to understand how the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of State (State), and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) are conducting oversight of these fund.’
Comer and his Republican colleagues highlighted how pandemic programs – which were approved quickly – later fell victims to fraud and abuse.
Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have urged Biden to keep providing the lethal aid necessary for Ukraine to counter Putin’s ‘unprovoked’ invasion.
But they have also promised ‘robust’ oversight to protect American taxpayers while making sure weapons make an impact on the battlefield.
‘American taxpayers are rightly frustrated with over a hundred billion U.S. dollars that have been spent in Ukraine, especially given the lack of a clear vision or strategic objective in the conflict’ Heritage Action for America executive director Jessica Anderson told DailyMail.com.
‘Before Congress even discusses the possibility of additional aid, the public must get answers to a number of important questions.
‘This includes some kind of public disclosure of where and how the previous economic aid has been spent, and public disclosure of the impact of drawdown authority.
‘Additionally, the Biden administration must articulate a plan on what ‘victory’ is, the American commitment to that ‘victory,’ and the American financial commitment in a post-conflict reconstruction phase.’
‘Giving $113 billion in aid to Ukraine without meaningful oversight is a recipe for fiscal disaster,’ Taxpayers Protection Alliance David Williams also told DailyMail.com.
‘When will politicians and bureaucrats learn that you just can’t hand out money and expect it to go the right people and places?
‘President Biden has been complaining that the Republicans don’t care about the deficit or debt and here he is handing out billions of taxpayer dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.
‘America can’t afford to keep on writing checks. If Biden is serious about avoiding a debt ceiling disaster, he needs to act like it and put away the taxpayers’ checkbook.’
Ukrainian servicemen of the 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigde take part in an exercise in the Kharkiv area on 23 February 2023, the day before the one year mark since the war began
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at a memorial to the Hero Cities of the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany, by the Kremlin Wall on the Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow, Russia, February 23