Heritage Action Calls on Senators to Oppose the Cancellation of Debt Owed by Ukraine to American Taxpayers

Press Releases · Nov 20, 2024

WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with 2.5 million activists nationwide, today announced support for S.J. Res. 117, introduced by Senator Rand Paul (R–KY), to prohibit the Biden–Harris administration’s proposed cancellation of $4.65 billion of debt owed by Ukraine to American taxpayers.

Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker released the following statement urging senators to support (S.J. Res. 117):

“For the past four years, Americans have suffered under the high prices and rising debt under the Biden-Harris Administration. We cannot afford to shift the burden of billions of dollars of Ukraine funding to the wallets of hardworking Americans. It’s time for our government to prioritize the people they represent. Heritage Action proudly stands with Senator Paul in his fight to put America first.”

The United States has sent billions of dollars to Ukraine without transparency and accountability for how that money is being used. American taxpayers—who already have to deal with skyrocketing inflation that makes gas, groceries, and rent unaffordable—should not have to see their hard-earned money go to prioritizing other countries’ citizens ahead of them; they deserve to be paid back by the Ukrainian government.

Tens of millions of U.S. funds have already been stolen by corrupt Ukrainian officials because of Congress's chaotic and reckless push to provide aid without guardrails, and the Biden–Harris administration has yet to explain how further fraud will be prevented. Even worse, these blank checks included $7.85 billion in funding "which may include budget support" to Ukraine for salaries and other needs of government employees and $50 million more for "food insecurity."

Heritage Action has issued multiple Key Votes in opposition to Ukraine supplemental aid packages that do not adhere to key conservative principles and fail to allocate dollars in a way that strategically meets the foreign policy challenges of the moment. By advocating for these loans to be forgiven, the Biden–Harris administration is once again choosing to put Americans last.


BACKGROUND: