What will it take for Sen. Mike Lee to support aid to Ukraine?
Feb 22, 2024 | 5:22 pm ET
Description
Speaking to Utah legislators at the state Capitol on Feb. 21, 2024, Sen. Mike Lee explained his opposition to an aid package for Ukraine. Pictured here, Lee questions social media executives during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Nov. 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Photo By Bill Clark-Pool/Getty Images)
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee has been a staunch opponent of sending aid to Ukraine, which has received over $75 billion from the U.S. in cash and military equipment since Russia invaded in February 2022.
The Senate approved a $61 billion package for Ukraine on Feb. 13 in a 70-29 vote; Lee, with Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, attempted a filibuster into the morning in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the bill. The House is currently in recess and has yet to pass its version of the package.
During a Utah House Democratic Caucus meeting at the statehouse on Wednesday, Lee explained his opposition to the package and what it would take for him to support military aid going forward.
Lee noted that he supported the aid early on in the war — since then, he said, the packages have been more difficult to trace and have provisions that go beyond supporting the Ukrainian military.
“No. 1, I would want it to be focused on military aid,” Lee said, rather than directing billions toward “the Ukrainian government that could be used to pay the salaries of civilian employees, bureaucrats and other workers of the Ukrainian government.”
“That’s an important thing. But that’s not our thing, and that’s concerning,” Lee said.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin recently said there is no credible evidence of the Ukrainian government misusing or diverting American equipment provided via the aid packages.
Still, Lee said on Wednesday that the government, whether Congress or the Pentagon, should be able to track where that money goes. He called for greater “auditability” and for the packages to have a “safety valve” so the U.S. doesn’t deplete its own military sources.
And lastly, Lee said the aid package should be tied to some kind of immigration reform.
“It is offensive to many Americans, including me, that we’re going to spend $113 billion so far — we’re being asked to spend an additional $60 billion — on helping another country protect its own border when our border is insecure,” Lee said.
Salt Lake City, UT
