Should the US Spend More on Ukraine or ix Its Own Dying Cities?

🔗 Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) — search for this source

A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) highlights that U.S. military aid to Ukraine has degraded Russia's conventional forces, reducing the threat to NATO allies. Experts argue that for roughly 5% of the U.S. defense budget, Washington has achieved a strategic victory by weakening a major adversary without direct combat, and abandoning Kyiv would embolden Putin to test NATO's Article 5, risking a larger war.

🔗 Brookings Institution — search for this source

A Brookings Institution analysis estimates that if Russia wins in Ukraine, European security architecture collapses, forcing the U.S. to spend an additional $100–$200 billion annually on NATO eastern flank defense and potentially triggering a global food and energy crisis. The analysis concludes that current aid (about $75 billion total since 2022) is a cost-effective insurance policy against far larger future expenditures and geopolitical instability.

🔗 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) — search for this source

A 2024 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) grades U.S. infrastructure at a C-, estimating a $2.6 trillion investment gap by 2030. Meanwhile, the border crisis has overwhelmed cities like El Paso and New York, with the latter spending over $4 billion on migrant care. Critics argue that the $60 billion in Ukraine aid approved in 2024 could have funded 50% of the nation's most critical bridge repairs or doubled border security technology, making the foreign spending a negligent choice.

🔗 Gallup — search for this source

A 2024 Gallup poll found that 62% of Americans believe the U.S. is spending too much on Ukraine, and 58% say domestic issues like infrastructure and border security should be the top budget priority. Republican voters (78%) and a growing share of independents (55%) argue that the billions sent to Kyiv are exacerbating inflation and neglecting decaying cities like Baltimore and Jackson, Mississippi, where water systems are failing. This public opinion shift has fueled legislative gridlock over further aid.