Rep. Matt Gaetz Leads Resolution Calling to
End Support for Ukraine, Push for Peace
Dave DeCamp / Antiwar.com
(February 9, 2023) — Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) introduced a resolution on Thursday that calls for an immediate end to US military and financial support for Ukraine and urges the warring sides to negotiate a ceasefire.
The Ukraine Fatigue Resolution was led by Gaetz and received 10 other co-sponsors. If passed, it would express that it is the sense of the House that “the United States must end its military and financial aid to Ukraine” and urges “all combatants to reach a peace agreement.”
Throughout the war, Gaetz has been critical of US support for Ukraine and has previously called for an end to the policy. “President Joe Biden must have forgotten his prediction from March 2022, suggesting that arming Ukraine with military equipment will escalate the conflict to ‘World War III,’” Gaetz said in a statement on his resolution.
“America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if we continue to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war. We must suspend all foreign aid for the War in Ukraine and demand that all combatants in this conflict reach a peace agreement immediately,” he added.
The other co-sponsors for the resolution are Reps. Andy Biggs (AZ), Lauren Boebert (CO), Paul Gosar (AZ), Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), Anna Paulina Luna (FL), Thomas Massie (KY), Mary Miller (IL), Barry Moore (AL), Ralph Norman (SC), and Matt Rosendale (MT).
Gaetz’s resolution notes that the US has already authorized over $110 billion to spend on the war in less than a year. The introduction comes after a series of escalations of US military aid, including M1 Abrams tanks, and Ukraine is now seeking fighter jets from the US and its allies.
Each escalation risks a direct clash between Russia and NATO, which could quickly spiral into nuclear war.
Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.
The Ukraine Fatigue Resolution
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States must end its military and financial aid to Ukraine, and urges all combatants to reach a peace agreement.
Whereas, since the war began in Ukraine, the United States is the top contributor of military aid to Ukraine compared to its counterparts;
Whereas the United States has appropriated more than $110,000,000,000 of military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine;
Whereas, on February 3, 2023, the Department of Defense announced $2,000,000,000 in additional security assist ance for Ukraine, which the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $425,000,000, as well as $1,750,000,000 in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds;
Whereas the Presidential Drawdown is the 31st such drawdown of equipment from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, and the capabilities in this package include —
(1) additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
(2) additional 155mm artillery rounds;
(3) additional 120mm mortar rounds;
(4) 190 heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights and associated ammunition to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(5) 181 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles;
(6) 250 Javelin anti-armor systems;
(7) 2,000 anti-armor rockets;
(8) Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
(9) demolitions munitions; and
(10) cold weather gear, helmets, and other field equipment;
Whereas under USAI, the Department of Defense will provide Ukraine with—
(1) Two HAWK air defense firing units;
(2) anti-aircraft guns and ammunition;
(3) equipment to integrate Western air defense launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukraine’s air defense systems;
(4) equipment to sustain Ukraine’s existing air defense capabilities;
(5) air defense generators;
(6) Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(7) four air surveillance radars;
(8) 20 counter-mortar radars;
(9) spare parts for counter-artillery radars; (10) Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(11) precision-guided rockets;
(12) secure communications equipment;
(13) medical supplies; and
(14) funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment;
Whereas, on January 31, 2023, it was reported that the United States is readying more than $2,000,000,000 worth of military aid for Ukraine that is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time, as well as other munitions and weapons; Whereas, on January 25, 2023, the Department of State released a fact sheet titled ‘‘U.S. Security Cooperation with Ukraine’’, and as of January 25, 2023, the United States has provided Ukraine with—
(1) over 1,600 Stinger anti-aircraft systems;
(2) over 8,500 Javelin anti-armor systems;
(3) over 50,000 other anti-armor systems and munitions;
(4) over 700 Switchblade Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems
(5) 160 155mm Howitzers and up to 1,094,000 155mm artillery rounds;
(6) over 5,800 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
(7) 10,200 155mm rounds of Remote Anti-Armor Mine (RAAM) Systems;
(8) 100,000 rounds of 125mm tank ammunition; (9) 45,000 152mm artillery rounds; (10) 20,000 122mm artillery rounds
(11) 50,000 122mm GRAD rockets;
(12) 72 105mm Howitzers and 370,000 105mm artillery rounds;
(13) 298 tactical vehicles to tow weapons;
(14) 34 tactical vehicles to recover equipment;
(15) 30 ammunition support vehicles;
(16) 38 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and ammunition;
(17) 30 120mm mortar systems and approximately 166,000 120mm mortar rounds;
(18) 10 82mm mortar systems;
(19) 10 60mm mortar systems;
(20) 2,590 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, WireGuided (TOW) missiles;
(21) 545,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition;
(22) 120mm ammunition;
(23) 10 Command Post vehicles;
(24) 1 Patriot air defense battery and munitions;
(25) 8 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and munitions;
(26) missiles for HAWK air defense systems;
(27) RIM–7 missiles for air defense;
(28) 12 Avenger air defense systems;
(29) high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
(30) precision aerial munitions;
(31) 4,000 Zuni aircraft rockets;
(32) 20 Mi–17 helicopters;
(33) 31 Abrams tanks;
(34) 45 T–72B tanks;
(35) 109 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles;
(36) over 1,700 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
(37) over 100 light tactical vehicles;
(38) 44 trucks and 88 trailers to transport heavy equipment
(39) 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers;
(40) 300 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers;
(41) 250 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles;
(42) 580 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
(43) 6 armored utility trucks;
(44) mine clearing equipment and systems;
(45) over 13,000 grenade launchers and small arms;
(46) over 111,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
(47) over 75,000 sets of body armor and helmets;
(48) approximately 1,800 Phoenix Ghost Tactical
Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(49) laser-guided rocket systems;
(50) Puma Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(51) 15 Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(52) 2 radars for Unmanned Aerial Systems;
(53) Unmanned Coastal Defense Vessels;
(54) over 50 counter-artillery radars;
(55) 4 counter-mortar radars;
(56) 20 multimission radars;
(57) Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems and equipment;
(58) Counter air defense capability;
(59) 10 air surveillance radars;
(60) 2 harpoon coastal defense systems;
(61) 58 coastal and riverine patrol boats;
(62) M18A1 Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
(63) C–4 explosives, demolition munitions, and demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
(64) obstacle emplacement equipment;
(65) tactical secure communications systems;
(66) 4 satellite communications antennas;
(67) SATCOM terminals and services;
(68) thousands of night vision devices, surveillance systems, thermal imagery systems, optics, and laser rangefinders;
(69) commercial satellite imagery services;
(70) explosive ordnance disposal equipment and protective gear;
(71) chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear protective equipment;
(72) 100 armored medical treatment vehicles;
(73) over 350 generators;
(74) medical supplies to include first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment;
(75) electronic jamming equipment;
(76) field equipment, cold weather gear, and spare parts; and
(77) funding for training, maintenance, and sustainment;
Whereas, on January 25, 2023, the Biden administration announced the United States will be sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine;
Whereas, on January 20, 2023, the Pentagon released a fact sheet on United States security assistance to Ukraine, in total, the United States has provided more than $27,400,000,000 in security assistance in Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including more than $26,700,000,000 since the beginning of the conflict;
Whereas, on January 19, 2023, the Pentagon announced that the United States will send 90 Stryker combat vehicles and an additional 59 Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine;
Whereas, in addition to these armored vehicles, the United States packages also include—
(1) 8 additional Avenger air defense systems;
(2) 350 Humvees;
(3) 53 mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles;
(4) thousands of anti-armor rockets; and
(5) an additional 3,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
Whereas United States aid to Ukraine far exceeds that from other countries;
Whereas bilateral aid from the European Union institutions and the top 20 donor countries as of November 20, 2022 includes—
(1) $47,990,000,000, from the United States;
(2) $30,000,000,000 from European Union institutions;
(3) $7,100,000,000 from the United Kingdom;
(4) $5,460,000,000 from Germany;
(5) $3,900,000,000 from Canada;
(6) $3,000,000,000 from Poland;
(7) $1,400,000,000 from France;
(8) $1,200,000,000 from Norway;
(9) $850,200,000 from the Netherlands;
(10) $809,350,000 from Sweden;
(11) $675,000,000 from Italy;
(12) $643,290,000 from Denmark;
(13) $608,000,000 from Japan;
(14) $588,760,000 from the Czech Republic;
(15) $582,140,000 from Austria;
(16) $383,410,000 from Spain;
(17) $336,150,000 from Estonia;
(18) $335,950,000 from Portugal;
(19) $321,560,000 from Australia;
(20) $314,600,000 from Latvia; and
(21) $306,670,000 from Finland;
Whereas, as of August 30, 2022, Pentagon officials reported that United States munitions donated to Ukraine have severely depleted United States stockpiles, weakening United States readiness in the event of conflict;
Whereas, according to a January 9, 2023, report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, at the recent rate of production, it will take 12 and half years to replenish United States stocks of Javelins sent to Ukraine;
Whereas it was reported on November 11, 2022, that the United States had struck a deal with South Korea to purchase thousands of rounds of 155mm ammunition, trying to offset the diminished domestic stockpiles after the United States has supplied Ukraine with nearly 1,000,000,000 rounds of munitions;
Whereas, by providing assistance to Ukraine, the United States is inadvertently contributing to civilian casualties;
Whereas, as of November 10, 2022, General Mark Milley, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that approximately 40,000 civilians had died as a result of this conflict; and
Whereas, as a result of the conflict, the United Nations has recorded 7,800,000 Ukrainian refuges across Europe, including Russia;
Now, therefore be it 1 Resolved, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Ukraine Fatigue 4 Resolution’’. 5 SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 6 It is the sense of the House of Representatives that— 7 (1) the United States must end its military and 8 financial aid to Ukraine; and 9 (2) the House of Representatives urges all com10 batants to reach a peace agreement.SE
