Kingman, AZ – Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-09), issued the following statement after introducing amendment number 10 for H.R. 4365, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2024. Amendment 10 reduces the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative by $300,000,000 and increases pay for enlisted service members by $300,000,000.

“The United States has wasted $100 billion fighting a proxy war in Ukraine in which we have no national security interest being in.  Incredulously, Biden recently asked Congress for another $24 billion to perpetuate this needless war.

Rather than sending another dime to Ukraine, my amendment strips out $300 million dollars for Ukrainian soldiers stashed in the annual defense funding bill and instead increases the pay of our brave service members right here in the United States by $300 million.

After years of promoting homosexuality and drag shows on military bases and ships, Joe Biden’s Department of Defense has ravaged our Armed Forces.  Perhaps a salary increase will help incentivize military recruitment and support military retention, both of which have dwindled since Biden took office.

The bottom line is if we are going to spend millions of taxpayers’ dollars, it should go to American troops, not foreign soldiers thousands of miles away,” stated Congressman Gosar.

Background:

Section 8104 of H.R. 4365, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2024, appropriates $300,000,000 under the heading ‘‘Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide’’ for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to remain available until September 30, 2025, for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (Page 118).

Congressman Gosar has voted against every single bill to fund the war in Ukraine and has repeatedly called for peace.