Rep. Burchett: ‘We Could Have Built the Wall’ Instead of Funding Ukraine

A congressman from Tennessee took to NewsMax to assure Americans that he wouldn’t vote to continue sending taxpayer dollars to Ukraine. He noted that many domestic problems could have been solved with the money Congress has already allocated to the country.

“Of course, I’m not going to vote for any more funding for Ukraine,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) said in a segment on the news station Monday. “$116 billion dollars? We could have built the wall, I believe six times. We could have fixed the Flint, Michigan lead situation a dozen times, probably. We could give every homeless veteran a million dollars in this country with the money we’ve spent on Ukraine.”

“And here it is, Tax Day, and this is where we’re at,” Burchett continued. “They’ve got enough. This is Europe’s war. Let them fight it.”

Burchett went on to say that he supports Israel, which could receive further U.S. funding this week, noting that Israel’s Iron Dome “prevented a world war this week,” in reference to Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack on the country.

“But the rest, Ukraine, they need to go somewhere else,” Burchett said. “We need to focus our priorities on our own problems.”

As of February, the United States had allocated $75 billion to Ukraine since its war with Russia began in 2022, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04) called this week for separate votes on more funding for both Ukraine and Israel.

The move has led to backlash from several of his fellow Republicans, including Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY-04).

Massie said Tuesday on X:

Speaker Johnson has led the GOP to pass:

1) an omnibus that spends more than Pelosi’s highest year

2) an expansion of the domestic warrantless surveillance program and this week he’s pushing

3) Schumer’s dream bill which contains $100 billion of foreign aid, mostly for war.

Speaker Johnson has led the GOP to pass:

1) an omnibus that spends more than Pelosi’s highest year

2) an expansion of the domestic warrantless surveillance program

and this week he’s pushing

3) Schumer’s dream bill which contains $100 billion of foreign aid, mostly for war.

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 16, 2024

He later said that he supported Representative Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA-14) in her motion to vacate Johnson from his speakership but said that Johnson should spare the GOP the trouble and simply resign.

“He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker,” Massie said.

I just told Mike Johnson in conference that I’m cosponsoring the Motion to Vacate that was introduced by @RepMTG.

He should pre-announce his resignation (as Boehner did), so we can pick a new Speaker without ever being without a GOP Speaker.

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 16, 2024

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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter/X.