Washington, D.C. — In case you missed it, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet addressed the urgent need for U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) to bring Ukraine aid to a vote on the House floor in an interview on Fox News, an op-ed in the Washington Examiner, and in response to criticism from U.S. Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) on Twitter/X.
On Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier, Bennet said:
“I don’t need to know that Ukraine has fought as bravely as they have for the last two years. I don’t need to know that they’ve taken back half the territory that Putin stole from them, or that they’ve stood on the tip of the spear for democracy all over the world. I do know that, but that’s only a benefit on top of our national security.
“For $60 billion – that sounds like a lot of money. Compare that to the $3 trillion that we spent in the Middle East. You know, where we had our own troops on the ground dying in the Middle East…. I’m not going to say that that’s cheap, but I am going to say that it’s cheap compared to a lot of other investments that we’ve made, and far more effective… And I think that’s actually what the math compels.
“If we can get through this week and we can stand up for the country, maybe we could create a whole new politics here that actually supports the national interests of the country. That’s what I think we’re trying to do.”
In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, Bennet wrote:
“Politicians hellbent on abandoning Ukraine — [Senator J.D.] Vance included — claim that the U.S. defense industrial base is already under strain. But they propose no solution to the problem, perhaps revealing that, rather than deterring our adversaries, their real scheme is old-fashioned, self-defeating American isolationism.
“Today’s America Firsters also ignore that the bipartisan Senate bill they oppose would allow us to send Ukraine decades-old weapons systems while replacing them with more advanced versions. We will inject money and urgency into the U.S. defense industrial base while replenishing our stockpiles and creating jobs nationwide. In fact, most of the money we “spend on Ukraine” stays here in the United States.”
“The United States and our partners have shown the world’s tyrants that democracies will stand up for one another when tested. Together, we have sent a strong message of deterrence to our adversaries — for trillions of dollars less than we spent in Afghanistan and Iraq and without deploying a single American soldier to the front.
“Nevertheless, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has refused to bring the bill (or any defense bill) to the House floor, even though a broad bipartisan majority would support it.
“House and Senate isolationists want us to cut and run on Ukraine in the name of preparing for the possibility of war with China. No one should wish for such a war ever to happen, but backing Ukraine is our best preparation and our best deterrence.
“Especially in the wake of Iran’s attack on Israel, Republicans should hold this vote or accept history’s judgment that the modern-day America Firsters lost Ukraine — and put the United States in greater danger.”
In response to a post by Vance criticizing his op-ed, Bennet wrote:
“Thanks for reading my op-ed, JD, and for your critique. Take it from somebody who barely passed pre-calculus, we don’t need trigonometry to apply the relevant math here.”
“The Supplemental you voted against includes nearly $35 billion for U.S.-based arms manufacturers to produce cutting-edge weaponry.
“While the U.S. provides the bulk of support for Ukraine’s military, the EU has provided more–around $90 billion–than we have ($70 billion).
“Ukraine has taken back 50% of the territory that Putin stole & destroyed or disabled around 30% of Russia’s warships with almost no navy.
“Australia, Japan, and South Korea have sent over $9 billion to Ukraine.
“That’s a lot of money for countries nowhere near the conflict. They know that letting Ukraine lose would make the world more dangerous.
“One final equation – arming Ukraine gives them far more leverage to secure a noble end to this conflict.”