The recently passed supplemental security assistance package containing aid for Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S.’s Indo-Pacific allies provided reason for both disappointment and cautious optimism.
FCNL strongly opposes the billions of dollars of military aid, particularly to the Israeli government to enable its brutal war in Gaza.
Yet, there is a hopeful prospect nestled within the bill—a requirement for transparency and a clear strategy regarding the U.S. government’s future engagement in Ukraine.
President Biden touted the tens of billions of dollars in military assistance as not just an investment in the security of U.S. partners, but also in the security of the U.S. itself. But with violent conflict escalating around the world, what will ultimately make people in the U.S. and everywhere safer is not $72 billion in military spending – but sustainable, serious investments in programs that address the root causes of violence.
What will ultimately make people safer is not $72 billion in military spending – but investments in programs that address the root causes of violence.
The ongoing war in Ukraine is no exception. With millions of Ukrainians impacted and displaced from their homes and communities, the need for concerted diplomacy, reconciliation, and humanitarian assistance is real.
The new provision included in the supplemental appropriations act bill requires the administration to submit a multi-year strategic plan to Congress in June. This plan must outline U.S. national security interests, which are required to be prioritized throughout. The strategy must also identify specific objectives, set out how U.S. assistance will help achieve them, and describe how U.S. materiel is intended to be used on the battlefield. It must be updated at least quarterly and submitted in an unclassified form, though it may include a classified annex.
A variation of this requirement was first outlined in the Define the Mission Act (H.R. 5791/S. 2940), led by Rep. Warren Davidson (OH-08) in the House and Sen. Mike Lee (UT) in the Senate. Had this legislation been enacted and the Ukraine strategy submitted before the supplemental bill, Congress would have had the opportunity to refine the package to meet the strategy’s needs.
A proactive, not reactive, strategy would have also helped ensure that future U.S. assistance aligns more closely with what Ukrainians actually need – humanitarian aid and civilian protection – instead of the current course of providing decades-old cluster munitions and other indiscriminate weapons to clear out space in U.S. warehouses.
Despite these imperfections, FCNL is grateful that this requirement for the administration to provide its Ukraine strategy was included in the supplemental package. This provision is a concrete first step toward a more robust and accountable U.S. approach to the war in Ukraine.
FCNL continues to profess the Quaker peace testimony on Capitol Hill as we seek to eliminate all occasions to make war. While we lament the billions of dollars in military funding, we believe this strategy could be a positive step toward progress to end the conflict.
