The State Department announced on Wednesday that it has moved to forgive about $4.7 billion in US loans to Ukraine as the Biden administration is trying to spend as much as it can on Ukraine during the transition period.
The $61 billion in aid for Ukraine that was authorized by Congress earlier this year included about $9.4 billion in economic and budgetary aid provided in the form of loans, an idea first promoted by President-elect Donald Trump. However, the law allows the president to forgive the loans if Congress doesn’t stop him.
After November 15, President Biden was allowed to forgive the first half of the loan. “We have taken the step that was outlined in the law to cancel those loans,” said State Department spokesman Matt Miller. On January 1, 2026, Trump will be able to forgive the second half of the loan if he chooses to do so and Congress allows it.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) attempted to block Biden from forgiving the $4.7 billion by introducing a resolution, but the effort failed in a vote of 37-61. “Today, US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) will force a vote in the U.S. Senate on his joint resolution of disapproval (S.J.Res.117) to stop the Biden Administration from making Ukraine’s debt the responsibility of the American people,” Paul’s office said in a press release on Wednesday.
“The Biden Administration’s proposal shifts the burden of funding Ukraine’s small businesses, farmers, and corrupt bureaucrats onto the backs of hardworking Americans, who are already suffering during a time of high inflation,” the press release said.
Paul said that any senators who vote against his resolution “will be sending a message to all Americans that they clearly prioritize Ukraine over the people they represent and are for putting America last.”
Biden is the worst president in my lifetime.I’m not saying Trump can’t beat that in a second term, but Biden is the biggest disaster this far.
I agree but only because of the genocide. Otherwise, it's President
BushCheney for me.Even Cheney didn’t start or instigate as many simultaneous wars as Biden, right?
Afghanistan and Iraq come to mind. I'm thinking the "war on terror" is what opened the doors for what has happened since 9/11. No one is as evil as the big Dick.
Hmm. Biden gets my vote. Lame duck nuclear war potential is beyond.
It seems our disagreements center around who we think is nastier. Like Clinton vs. Nuland. I'm partial to Dick. Did I say that right?
Bit of a double entrendre, though. Lol
Dick is a fossil. Nuland is off the shelf, for the moment, but always willing to spout something belligerent. The media are always willing to listen!
Quite a wonder Ms Harris thought she could win with a nudge from the Dick.
But Biden, the proud dilutional and demented American president knows the USA is invincible and can fight many wars at once and win them all.
I think the wide open border is pretty bad too.
Drought has a lot to do with the influx.
NAFTA has a lot to do with the influx.
They head north for survival.
I think it is payback for the colonial Monroe Doctrine. They really exploited the cheap labor and removed every government wanting to serve the people and not obeying American corporate orders. Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua are only three.
Bar none.
So it would seem. I feel like slashing my wrists for voting for him in 2020.
My man then was Sanders, the man stabbed in the back by the DNC a second time.
He stepped right back in line, both times.
I did too, but living in a winner take all red state my vote did not count anyway.
I fear Trump is on board already. The only coherent policy he has is to continue the Israel/Gaza brutal genocide and continue the scorched earth Netanyahu dictates.
The blob rules:
Emily Kopp @emilyakopp
Nov 20
I'm sitting next to a Pentagon employee at a DC coffee shop talking about efforts to move policies out of the hands of "politicals" to "career folks”
Rough transcript: "Any steps DOD can take to institutionalize, to preserve what we consider positive policies that might come under fire, any steps to shore that up, we've already done it."
Some discussion of moving policies "out of the office of the secretary ."
"Just put it on our tab"!!
But to be honest, that money is gone. Lost forever.
Can a president do that without approval from the House of Representatives? Yes, because of the recent ruling by the US Supreme Court.
“The Biden Administration’s proposal shifts the burden of funding Ukraine’s small businesses, farmers, and corrupt bureaucrats onto the backs of hardworking Americans, who are already suffering during a time of high inflation,” the press release said.
News flash: Funding the Ukraine has ALWAYS been on the backs of the American taxpayer, from the second the first piece of military equipment or US dollar was handed over to Kiev. I don't have $4.7m to just hand out- do you? We didn't even get so much as national referendum to get the level of support of the American people about the Ukraine to begin with, and everyone in Washington who has allowed our tax dollars to be squandered over the Ukraine should be removed from office for gross incompetence. I'd say take them out back behind the dumpster for elimination, but first I'd make them buy their own bullet. I'm sick of this.
Did anyone ever see an honest audit, any accountability of the CIA budget? Any debate about the almost 1 trillion $$$ discretionary defense budget or the budget of the State Department, which manages the CIA funds.
The oligarchs own the nation and owe us no accounting at all, after all the nations treasury is theirs.
We have a congress full of people- in both parties- beholden to the MIC for campaign funds. The society acquiesces that
"everybody does it, so…" -so nothing gets done.
The "Resistance" ought to be held against those reps who take the money against the better wishes and judgements of 4/5 of the nation, who'd like a brake on "Pentagon largesse."
Don't vote for people who take the cash- research your own reps and see where they fall on the scale.
Living with it is precisely our problem, we've put up with it far too long.
This policy could work rather well, me thinks! How many citizens need debt relief?!…;-/
WTF!!!!!!!!
Please forgive my federal income tax payment until my death too…!
They always knew Ukraine would never pay back for a lost war the Americans made them do, they paid the neo-Nazis for all the Ukrainian young men KIA and all the people who left the country, some way to depopulate a country. What a mess, another failed nation on the US ledger to chalk off. Criminal minds are ruling Western Democracies.
Israel is the next waiting disaster and no telling what comes after that. In Israel too the USA is funding the genocide the Israelis will never pay back, even if there is an Israel left. Because they did not do it, Hamas made them do it.
Money we printed only to become as worthless as toilet paper.
Warmonger Joe needs to keep the fam'ly business pumpin'.
So uncle Joe just laundered 4.7. billion into some people’s pockets.