Republican Ohio Senator J.D. Vance warned Sunday on CNN that U.S. defenses are “stretched too thin,” stating that the focus should be on “closer” allies like Israel.
Vance appeared on “State of the Union” to discuss how the United States should handle helping countries admist wars, like Ukraine, and other strategies that could be applied. CNN host Jake Tapper questioned Vance on his position regarding the Russia-Ukraine war after the National Review appeared to indicate the senator’s solution was for Ukraine to surrender. (RELATED: Biden State Department Wants To Use Video Games To Fight ‘Disinformation’ In Ukraine)
“No, look, my solution to the problem is to rebuild our own country. The reason that we’re in this position, Jake, is because we’re stretched way too thin. We’re stretched way too thin and the number of weapons systems that we need, that Ukraine needs, that Taiwan needs, that Israel needs — and we can’t do all of these things at once. So when you’re stretched too thin, you’ve got to focus and you’ve got to rebuild your own country.”
Vance continued to highlight the Russians’ current “five-to-one advantage over the Ukrainians” in one weapons example and noted the military assistance Ukraine is requesting is also needed in Israel and Taiwan. Vance stated that, since it would not be possible to fight all of the conflicts at once, he is encouraging Ukraine to take a “defensive posture” while calling out the Biden administration’s “disastrous counteroffensive” suggestions.
Tapper pivoted to asking Vance about Saturday’s attack by Iran in which an estimated 300 drones and missiles were launched against Israel. Tapper stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested the strike should “serve as a wake-up call in terms of this greater battle,” before asking Vance for his thoughts on the statement.
“Well, I think foreign policy is not a nursery rhyme and it should serve as a wake-up call, but it should serve as a wake-up call that we have to rebuild our own industrial base. Let’s take another weapons system that’s really important, the Patriot [“Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target”] interceptor system almost definitely saved a lot of Israeli lives last night. The Ukrainians want thousands of those per year. Do you know how many we manufacture in a year, Jake? 550. We cannot possibly — I’ve repeated this for years now — we cannot possibly support Ukraine and Israel and our own defense needs in the way that these guys demand,” Vance stated.
“So I think we should focus — I think Israel is a much closer ally, is a much more core American national security interest. And, of course, we’ve got to focus on ourselves, that means encouraging the Ukrainians to take a defensive strategy. This is really important, Jake, because you’re gonna hear a lot of calls across Washington, D.C. that we now have to pass the supplemental [bill]. But if we pass the Ukraine and Israel supplemental and send a ton of weapons to Ukraine that the Israelis need, we’re actually weakening Israel in the name of helping them. It doesn’t make any sense and ignores mathematical reality.”
A thoughtful, thorough, and sober analysis by @JDVance1, who’s already become one of the best conservative policymakers. Hats off to the @nytimes, of all outlets, for running his op-ed.
🧵 1/ He writes: “President Biden wants the world to believe that the biggest obstacle… pic.twitter.com/DfKuPkWKtB
— Kevin Roberts (@KevinRobertsTX) April 13, 2024
In early February, the Senate introduced a bipartisan supplemental bill estimated to be over $100 billion to address the support of Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, as well as the ongoing border crisis. Many Republican lawmakers, however, immediately pushed back. The Senate then dropped the border protection portion, reducing the price tag for the bill to roughly $95 billion, according to the Associated Press.
The package still awaits congressional approval. Republican lawmakers, including Vance, have been outspoken against the bill due to the administration’s push to throw more money into a conflict which appears to have no end in sight.