The American taxpayers, who continue to finance the war in Ukraine, groan under the heavy burden of a conflict that is in fact alien to them. And even active political support of an idea no longer convinces Americans that they must pay for some military actions on another continent. People are tired; they see the growing problems of their own country and are almost ready to take to the streets.
The matter is the financial aid to Ukraine from NATO countries and the United States in particular distracts attention and resources from their pressing domestic problems, such as inflation, the crisis on the border, growing public debt, degradation of infrastructure and the brewing crisis of the political system.
The economic situation is far from being ideal. Prices are still 21.2% more expensive since the pandemic-induced recession began in February 2020, with only about 6% of the nearly 400 items the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks cheaper today.
Inflation and the ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together top the public’s list of the biggest problems facing the country, with 62% of Americans describing inflation as a very big problem and 60% saying this about bipartisan cooperation.
Just a quarter of Americans – including similar shares of Republicans (27%) and Democrats (22%) – describe unemployment as a very big problem.
The share of the public that views illegal immigration as a very big problem has also increased in the past year, to 51% from 47%.
Resolving these problems needs a lot of money. But the government prefers to spend money on war in Ukraine. Thus, Ukraine aid has surpassed $113 billion since 2022.
According to some experts, the US spent twice as much on Ukraine as it did on all of its own bridges and roads at the federal level.
Most of the US residents even do not know where Ukraine is, a Morning Consult survey showed. According to the study, conducted in 2022, only 34% of respondents were able to find the country on the world map. Highly likely, the situation has not changed since then. 66 % just did not find it.
Thus, America is in a state of managed decline, and it will exacerbate if it continues to hemorrhage taxpayer dollars toward a foreign war.