Some Members Of Oklahoma Congressional Delegation In Favor Of More Aid For Ukraine

U.S. leaders are feeling increasingly optimistic about Ukraine’s chances of successfully repulsing Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion following the recent success of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive, but that does not seem likely to deter the Biden administration’s efforts to get Congress to approve additional funding for Ukraine.

This month, Ukrainian military officials said their forces have retaken more than 1,100 square miles south and east of Kharkiv, which has dealt Russia’s vaunted armed forces a stunning blow.

While the surprising gains are cause for celebration in Ukraine, most analysts remain wary, knowing President Putin still has troops and resources to tap and mindful that his forces still control large swaths of the east and south.

“I agree there should be no spiking of the ball because Russia still has cards it can play,” Philip Breedlove, a retired U.S. Air Force general, told the Associated Press. “Ukraine is now clearly making durable changes in its east and north, and I believe that if the West properly equips Ukraine, they’ll be able to hold on to their gains.”

Keeping Ukraine properly equipped is precisely what the Pentagon hopes to do, which is why, earlier this month, the Biden administration announced it was asking Congress to approve an additional $11.7 billion in lethal aid and budget support for Ukraine.=

Lawmakers have not yet seen a firm proposal, so there are questions about what they might ultimately be asked to approve. Generally, support for Ukraine remains strong.

“I do support getting more weapons to Ukraine because it’s obvious they are showing effectiveness in this,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) in an interview last week. “But we’ve got to be able to see how it is, how the previous money has been spent, oversight on these weapon systems and make sure they’re actually getting to the spot where they can be most effective.”

Lankford said he's also not sure what the right dollar amount would be. He and other Republicans have criticized the administration for not deliver the weapons Ukraine needs quickly enough.

"There were a lot of promises made early on, but it took months to actually get the weapon systems on the ground," said Lankford. "So now there are systems that are getting on the ground and sure enough we’re seeing Ukraine make some great progress."

Lankford believes it's in the United States' strategic national interest to assist Ukraine and keep Russia from achieving its military goals there, but he said the administration needs to provide a clear accounting of the use of taxpayer dollars so far before he'll support allocating further monies for Ukraine' defense.

The only opposition to the $40 billion aid package in May came from Republicans, one of them being Oklahoma Congressman Kevin Hern.

"My question was, ‘Why couldn’t we take a small portion of that -- $1 billion, $2 billion -- and secure our southern border?" Rep. Hern (R-OK1) said in an interview Tuesday. "There was no response from the White House, no response from the Democrats. I believe that the security of our nation should be first and foremost."

Hern agrees that it is in our interest to push back on Russian aggression, but he believes we can do that while also taking care of our own national security concerns. Hern said the Biden administration is not doing that.

"I think putting America first is not a bad thing," said Hern. "It doesn’t mean we don’t support Ukraine, but the position is, ‘Why don’t we support the United States of America and protecting our sovereignty, as well?’”