U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said that the U.S. cannot afford to send billions of dollars to Ukraine given the record-high inflation and rising gas prices that its citizens are currently experiencing.
In a tweet, Burchett said, “The United States cannot afford to blindly send billions of dollars to Ukraine while we deal with record-high inflation and gas prices here at home. Europe needs to provide the primary financial aid since the war is right on its doorstep.”
The United States cannot afford to blindly send billions of dollars to Ukraine while we deal with record-high inflation and gas prices here at home. Europe needs to provide the primary financial aid since the war is right on its doorstep. I joined @ShaunKraisman to discuss. pic.twitter.com/lCEpOCaneV
— Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) June 2, 2022
Burchett’s tweet additionally shared an interview that he did on Newsmax.
“$40 billion is what we sent to them, basically unchecked. The president already sent, I believe, $13 billion. That makes $53 billion. Russia’s entire military budget this year is just $62 billion – not just ‘just’, but it is $62 billion. We’ve got to start questioning where this money is actually going. Is it getting to where it needs to be,” he said in the interview.
“And you’ve got to look at the complexities of the bill. Its just beyond me that this amount of money that we don’t even have – which we’re borrowing from the Chinese, which they, all our intelligence tells us that’s where our next conflicts are going to be involving – so it raises a lot of questions,” Burchett continued.
“And this reminds me of very parallels to Vietnam. If you remember our short history, I mean, our short memory of that – we sent money. They stole some of it. We sent some armament in there. They couldn’t handle it. We sent advisors, and then we sent troops in, and then they sent body bags home of American soldiers,” he said.
“And I just – this further increment towards war to me is a very, very serious issue,” the 2nd District U.S. representative said. “And you’ve got to figure China, good gosh. They’ve enslaved millions of Uyghurs, and yet we’re still buying our good from China. Nobody’s raising Cain about China.”
“So the military industrial complex is alive and well,” he said. “Start looking at stock portfolios when you have members of Congress making 75 percent, in leadership, making 75 percent returns on their stocks investments.”
Burchett believes that the flow of money needs to be tracked.
“We sure got to start looking at what the heck’s going on. As my daddy used to say, let’s follow the money, and we’re going to clearly have to follow the money,” he said.
He later said, “Europe is going to have to step up at some point, and they are not financially doing their fair share. It’s continuously going to be my great-grandkids paying for this war. At some point someone has got to answer some of these questions.”
Burchett serves on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, and Parler.
I’d like to also hear Rep Burchett say he won’t vote for Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker of the House if/when the GOP retakes the House. The last time Leahy asked him about that he said for sure McCarthy will be the leader. I’d like to understand why? McCarthy has been all in for the massive spending spree by the Regime. I was happy to see he didn’t vote like the 3 Muskateers (Green, Kustoff, Fleischmann) but it would be nice to see some real strength in supporting the Maga base against the masters of the GOPe in Wash D.C.
Representative Burchette puts me in the awkward position of having to AGREE with him on this issue of aid to Ukraine and military (“defense”) spending. I usually have differences with him, especially on cultural/social issues. But I have to support Burchette’s opposition to the huge Biden aid program to Ukraine. Instead of saving Ukranian and Russian lives by pushing for negotiations, the U.S. and N.A.T.O. are more intent in egging on the Ukrainians to fight to the death in a war that turns huge windfall profits for the armaments industry. Yes, Burchette is right to say that we need to use that money right HERE in the U.S. to deal with fuel inflation and infrastructure improvement instead of financing reckless foreign military adventures.
I also have differences with Zelenski, especially his policies of requring men due only to their gender to stay in Ukraine instead of joining their families in exile. His policy violates the whole notion of equal protection under the law regardless of one’s gender, race, etc. So, I have to support Burchette on this issue.