Nearly half in new survey say US spending too much on Ukraine aid

Nearly half of voters in a new survey said the United States is spending too much on aid for Ukraine, which comes just ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington.

The Financial Times-Michigan Ross poll found that 48 percent of voters said the U.S. was spending “too much” on sending financial and military aid to Ukraine. Twenty-seven percent said the U.S. was spending the right amount, and 11 percent said the U.S. was not spending enough.

Republicans were more likely to say the U.S. is spending too much, with 65 percent saying so. About half of independent voters and 32 percent of Democrats said the U.S. was spending too much.

The poll also surveyed respondents on whether the U.S. was spending the right amount on aid to Israel in its war against the militant group Hamas, which launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel in early October. It found that 40 percent believed the U.S. was spending too much on sending aid to Israel, and 30 percent said the funding levels were the right amount.

Lawmakers are divided on approving an aid package that includes funding for Ukraine and Israel. The GOP-led House passed an Israel-only aid package last month — but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) declined to bring it to the floor.

Senate Republicans then blocked a measure to provide aid to Ukraine and Israel last week, saying they were unsatisfied with the border security provisions laid out in the bill.

The $111 billion emergency supplemental package requested by President Biden also included aid for the Indo-Pacific region and funding for humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The White House announced Sunday that Biden invited Zelensky for a meeting in Washington to “underscore the United States’ unshakeable commitment to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against Russia’s brutal invasion.” Zelensky is also slated to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), as many members of the House GOP have voiced their opposition to Ukraine funding.

The Biden administration warned earlier this month that the U.S. will run out of money for Ukraine amid its war with Russia without congressional action on the matter.