WASHINGTON—Heritage Action, a conservative grassroots organization with two million activists nationwide, released the following statement explaining serious flaws within the four-bill foreign aid package under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives. Heritage Action opposes the Ukraine-focused legislation (H.R. 8035) issued a Key Vote urging lawmakers to vote ‘no’ on that specific bill.
Heritage Action President Dr. Kevin Roberts expressed concerns with the package overall and explained the Key Vote in opposition to the Ukraine bill, saying:
“The foreign aid package moving through the House this week is almost indistinguishable from the Senate’s failed supplemental spending bill House leadership claimed to oppose for months. While their position seems to have changed, ours is resolute: Conservatives have not, do not, and will not support another unaccountable, nearly $60 billion check for a foreign country to secure its border while our own lies dangerously wide open.
“The package fundamentally fails President Reagan’s peace through strength litmus test. It perpetuates Biden’s failed approach to the Ukraine-Russia conflict that is devoid of any coherent strategy, fails to deter our number one foreign adversary in China, undermines our greatest ally in Israel by sending billions to Gaza and into the hands of Hamas, and weakens America’s strength abroad.
“Beyond the absurdity of the Ukraine funding, which includes a fake “loan” that is conveniently waivable two weeks after the election in November, the other bills in this package each have their own glaring issues. The legislation to support our allies in Israel is being used as leverage to force through the whole package—but dangerously includes billions of dollars for corrupt NGOs. The ‘REPO Act’ included to sweeten the overall deal risks weakening the U.S. dollar and is a costly liability for taxpayers, and the critical TikTok bill has already been sent to the Senate.
“Most egregiously, all of these bills are being sold to the American people through gimmicks and false promises. House leadership tells Americans they are separate proposals—but plans to tie them together after passage, making a vote for any bill a vote for all of the bills. The border bill introduced for decoration does not fulfill the promises of H.R. 2 and will not be attached to the foreign aid package, meaning it will be ignored by the Senate. Heritage sees through the Swamp’s spin and will not absolve lawmakers of accountability. We know the American people won’t either.”
The border, Ukraine, Israel, and China have vitally important policy issues that should be considered separately, each deserving Congress’ full attention. As Heritage Action shared with lawmakers earlier today, attempting to circumvent accountability for a vote on any of the individual bills with the understanding that they will be combined on the back end is disingenuous for members who claim to oppose the Senate-passed foreign aid supplemental.
According to national security and economic experts at The Heritage Foundation, each of the four bills in this package attempts to adhere to some conservative principles, but fails in notable ways:
FUNDING FOR UKRAINE (H.R. 8035):
- The bill includes $48.43 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
$19.85 for the replenishment of U.S. military weapons (intended to allow for increased transfers of weapons to Ukraine under Presidential Drawdown Authority)
$14.8 billion in operational support for the Department of Defense (DoD)
$13.8 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative
- $9.5 billion in “forgivable loans” for Ukraine’s government, infrastructure, and energy sector
However, under the bill, the President has authority to cancel 50% of that debt after Nov. 15, 2024, and then can cancel the remaining 50% after Jan. 2026.
- The Ukraine supplemental bill fails to meet conservative criteria laid out by The Heritage Foundation.
The bill does NOT require Europe to provide ALL non-military aid and a majority of Ukraine’s military aid and does NOT prevent Ukraine from receiving weapons and munitions that our troops need to deter China.
FUNDING FOR ISRAEL (H.R. 8034):
- The bill includes $13 billion in military aid to Israel.
$4.4 billion for repair and replacement of equipment and $800 million for ammunition
$5.2 billion for Iron Beam, Iron Dome, and David’s Sling
$3.5 billion for Foreign Military Financing
- Alarmingly, the bill includes $9.1 billion for civilian aid to Gaza, which could be stolen by Hamas.
$5.655 billion for International Disaster Assistance for Gaza
$3.495 billion for Migration and Refugee Assistance
- While UNWRA is prohibited from receiving funding in this bill, the oversight mechanisms will not prevent a wide diversion to bad actors.
There will not be on-the-ground USG officials to conduct on-site oversight to ensure aid integrity.
Given the large amounts of money, there will be pressure to spend it at the cost of waste, fraud, and abuse.
Other International Organizations may hire former local UNWRA employees, which would render the prohibition on UNWRA funding less effective.
FUNDING FOR TAIWAN AND THE INDO-PACIFIC (H.R. 8036):
The bill includes $3.3 billion for the U.S. submarine industrial base, $1.9 billion for Presidential Drawdown Authority for Taiwan, and $2 billion in Foreign Military Financing for partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Despite some useful appropriations specifically focused on the Indo-Pacific, this bill does not prioritize the region.
The other two supplemental bills provide the vast majority of funding to other regions—Europe and the Middle East— and may delay efforts to avert war in the Indo-Pacific.
The use of Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) to arm Taiwan is the most effective way to arm Taiwan quickly, and its inclusion in the Indo-Pacific Supplemental Appropriations Act is a positive development.
21st CENTURY PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH ACT (H.R. 8038):
- The REPO for Ukrainians Act correctly seeks to hold Russia accountable for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. It would, however, do so in a counterproductive and long-term problematic manner. The bill would:
Give unprecedented legal authority to an administration that has demonstrated its disregard for its constitutional obligations
Fund future reconstruction when current military assistance is a more pressing need, likely fail to achieve the desired strategic advantage
Undermine the dollar-denominated global finance system
Expose an already fragile economy to unintended consequences and risks for which the United States is unprepared.
The REPO for Ukrainians Act will likely cause an even greater burden for U.S. taxpayers and risks putting the U.S. at the mercy of foreign court rulings.
So far, the American people have sent $113 billion to Ukraine—more than $45 billion of which was for non-defense spending. Tens of millions of U.S. dollars have already been stolen by corrupt Ukrainian officials because of Congress' chaotic and reckless push to provide aid without guardrails, and the Biden administration has yet to explain how further fraud will be prevented.
Polling conducted this week revealed widespread disapproval for the foreign aid bills among American voters. The J.L. Partners polling found that just 33% of Americans support more funding for Ukraine, while 47% oppose.
By issuing a Key Vote, lawmakers are notified that their vote on the Ukraine bill will affect their score on the Heritage Action Scorecard, which shows voters and activists how conservative lawmakers are by comparing their policy positions to those of Heritage Action. The scores of lawmakers who vote for H.R. 8035 will be negatively impacted.
More information about the legislation and Heritage Action’s decision to issue a Key Vote ‘No’ can be found in the issue brief below, which was shared with lawmakers and congressional staff.
KEY VOTE: “No” on the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8035)
Heritage Action opposes the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8035) and will include it as a Key Vote on our legislative scorecard.
The House is using a Rule to combine four separate foreign aid bills together after each pass the House individually—creating an “emergency” $95 billion foreign aid supplemental package. The Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act accounts for more than half of the funding provided in this package.
Taxpayers have sent more than $113 billion to Ukraine since the start of the conflict—all without responsible accountability measures, a clear understanding of future American commitments, or a path to victory. The additional $58 billion in this bill would bring the total price tag for taxpayers’ to more than $175 billion in just two years.
H.R. 8035 violates the responsible principles consistently laid out by conservatives for considering additional aid to Ukraine: There is no public accounting of the expended military and economic aid and it is not accompanied by a defined end goal, expected U.S. commitment, impacts of drawdown authority, or with significant assurances of further commitments of aid from our European partners. While the bill claims to be considered on its own merits, the Rule governing consideration ties this bill together with aid to other regions of the world, another clear conservative redline.
To date, tens of millions of U.S. dollars sent without guardrails have been stolen by corrupt Ukrainian officials. In January, a Department of Defense Inspector General report found that the U.S. failed to track $1 billion in Ukraine military aid. Last month, a Government Accountability Office report found that the Department of the Defense does not maintain standardized guidance for tracking and reporting weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Additional funds should not be appropriated without such guidance and reporting.
Funding in the bill includes $9.5 billion in “forgivable loans” for Ukraine’s government, infrastructure, and energy sector. It also provides the President with authority to cancel 50% of that debt after Nov. 15, 2024, and then cancel the remaining 50% after January 2026. Further, $7.85 billion of this funding “may include budget support” to Ukraine for salaries and other needs of government employees and soldiers and $50 million more for “food insecurity.” An additional $1.58 billion will support “Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia” as an “emergency requirement.” As a reminder, due to the cost of living crisis created by Congress’ reckless spending, more than 60% of Americans currently live paycheck-to-paycheck and more than 44 million live in “food insecure” households.
By design, H.R. 8053 is nearly identical to the Ukraine aid components in the Senate’s supplemental spending package: failing to prioritize American national interests, lacking accountability for past and future spending, and adding to our soaring national debt.
Heritage Action opposes the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8035) and will include it as a Key Vote on our legislative scorecard.
BACKGROUND:
The Heritage Foundation: Supplemental Appropriations to Meet the Moment
The Heritage Foundation: The REPO for Ukrainians Act Is Unnecessary, Costly, and Risky
The Heritage Foundation: The Senate’s Supplemental Spending Package Is Reckless and Irresponsible