Guest Post by Stephen Semler
Joe Biden has signed a $40 billion aid bill to Ukraine. But the biggest beneficiary isn’t ordinary Ukrainians — it’s the US military contractors set to receive at least $17 billion in additional revenue.
Last Saturday, Joe Biden signed a bill that provides $40.1 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine, including $24.6 billion for military programs and $15.5 billion for nonmilitary ones. By Washington’s standards, the legislation moved through Congress in the blink of an eye. Congress received the funding request from the White House on April 28, and just three weeks later — after easily passing the House (368 to 57) and the Senate (86 to 11) — the bill was ready for Biden’s signature.
But what’s in the bill? Who is the main beneficiary? And will it bring the conflict closer to an end?
While it’s difficult to tell how much of the $40.1 billion Ukraine aid bill will end up as direct aid to Ukraine, it is clear that private contractors will receive a significant amount to provide the weapons and military-related services whether they’re for Ukraine or another country “impacted by the situation in Ukraine,” as the bill puts it. In fact, the domestic arms industry may turn out to be the bill’s main financial winner.
The legislation, according to my estimates, will produce at least $17.3 billion in revenue for US military contractors — more than the total amount of nonmilitary funding ($15.5 billion). This estimate — a conservative one — is based on the bill’s language, accompanying documents from the White House and House Appropriations Committee, and overall trends in military contracting.
Some of that $17.3 billion in projected private sector revenue is under the “direct aid” umbrella. For example, an estimated $1.5 billion of the $6 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (a bill provision that provides Ukraine with weapons, training, intelligence, logistical support, and salaries and stipends for enlisted personnel in Ukraine’s army) will be used to buy weapons from contractors.
On a fundamental level, this bill is a massive redistribution of wealth from the public coffers to the pockets of private military contractors. It allows the Biden administration to continue escalating the United States’ military involvement in the war as the administration appears increasingly disinterested in bringing it to an end through diplomacy. It does not provide nearly enough oversight to mitigate the inherent risks of dumping so many weapons into a country so quickly. It earmarks money for the Department of Defense to buy weapons for its own stockpiles. Moreover, the emergency funding for the US pandemic response that Biden originally requested was stripped from the bill.
Despite all of this, Democrats decided unanimously in both the House and Senate to approve the bill. All the opposing votes came from Republicans. Not even Bernie Sanders opposed the measure.
Until congressional progressives can mobilize sufficient pushback, the Biden administration will continue on a dangerous path of prioritizing military escalation over conflict resolution — and investing in weapons instead of public well-being.
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
And, now, having paid off the CongressCritters through their lobbyists hired by the Military Industrial Complex, Ukraine has been abandoned to Poland to lose and the Corruptocrats have set their eyes on Somalia and Taiwan to dispense with the rest of American Treasure they can steal and kill in battle.
Carry on.
Internet is out in Kharkov and possibly other parts of Ukraine. What do you see?
And just what does all this lucre get us? Deeper in debt and one humiliating defeat after another. Say what you want about Putin (and I’m no fan) he set out to keep Ukraine out of NATO, bring peace to Luhansk and Donbas and eliminate the Nazis. He flat out accomplished all three in short order while inflicting minimal damage to the rest of the country and strengthened his currency. What a performance.
It’s almost like he is plying 3-D chess while NATO is playing tiddlywinks.
And our side is playing Old Maid
Go Fish.
War profiteers do not care who wins or loses; it’s all the same to them.
90% of the money will get stolen, like every other government program. The 10% that does buy arms, will be confiscated by the Russians when they try to ship them into Ukraine. When will people learn the government can not do anything without fucking it up.
Ted Cruz and Mo Brooks are on board wih the oligarch grift.
And Senator John Cornyn.
Now Texas has gotten a bad reputation
Because of what happened in Dallas and Waco
And our corporations, well they are corrupt
And the politicians are swindlers and loco
It should be called The CIA Funding Supplement. I read another article that 1/2 to 2/3 of weapons aren’t even making it to Ukraine and are already showing up at Kosovo black market.
Can we change/ cancel that?
I see no way ( correct me please who know how to).
Can we take advantage of that?
Stocks:
Raytheon
Northrop Grumman
General Dynamics
Lockheed Martin?
Boeing, perhaps no, too much with civilian aircraft.
Any ideas?
The M.I.C. is back in business , brought to you by the uniparty
Throw another Trillion on the pile for the Taliban, Taiwanese, Trinidadians, and Timbuktu-ers. Doesn’t really matter. Our indentured kids won’t mind toiling at a 110% tax rate in this looted bananastan.