Christian Smith
(The hill) – Debates over US aid to Israel and Ukraine have dominated Washington this year, raising questions about US economic and military support for various allies and whether the nation spends too much support abroad.
Opposition within the Republican Party to foreign aid has been growing, with Republicans arguing that the US needs to spend more on border security.
The debate is expected to influence this year’s presidential race, and the re-election of former President Trump and his America First campaign could raise questions about funding for some partners.
Here’s a look at where the U.S. spent the most on foreign aid this year and why.
All figures come from State Department spending in fiscal year 2023, with the addition of foreign aid appropriations for Israel and Ukraine last month.
Ukraine
US$78.3 billion
Congress allocated $61 billion to Ukraine in a foreign aid package signed late last month after months of political fighting over whether to continue supporting the country against a Russian invasion.
The funding nearly doubles what the US has invested in Ukraine since the start of the war in early 2022, bringing total spending on the conflict to around $137 billion across military and economic aid. according to the Kiel Institute.
Almost all of the military spending in the new aid package will be spent on domestic arms manufacturers, replenishing the arsenals sent to Ukraine to fight Russia. It also includes around US$8 billion for the country’s economic development and recovery.
The spending agreement has split the Republican Party’s majority in the House and nearly led to the impeachment of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and two other GOP members cited the relief package as the last straw filing a motion to vacate the position of speaker. Johnson survived the vote with the support of Democrats.
The Russia-Ukraine war has been dragging on for months, with Ukrainian leaders complaining about supply shortages as American arms shipments from a December 2022 aid package ran out.
“For months, while MAGA Republicans blocked aid, Ukraine was running out of artillery shells and ammunition,” Biden said when he signed the new aid package last month. “Meanwhile, Putin’s friends keep him well supplied.”
The new expenditure of US$61 billion is in addition to the approximately US$17 billion allocated in 2022 and spent last year.
Israel
US$21.6 billion
Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II. The country has accepted more than $300 billion since 1946, according to the Council on Foreign Relationswith more than $220 billion in military aid.
Long considered the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East, Congress has consistently allocated $3 billion to $4 billion a year to Israel since the 1970s for its defense. Nearly the entire sum is provided through a State Department program that allows Israel to buy U.S.-made weapons and ammunition for free.
That trend was bucked late last month when the long-awaited foreign aid package included about $15 billion in military aid to Israel in the midst of its war with Hamas in Gaza. The package is the largest annual aid allocation to Israel in at least 50 years, according to the Accountwor about Foreign Affairs.
“We will always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and the terrorists it supports,” Biden said when signing the aid package.
President Biden withheld a shipment of weapons to Israel last week, part of a pressure campaign urging Israel not to invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Biden said the U.S. will stop future arms shipments If Israel enters the city, which Israeli leaders said Thursday, it will likely happen with or without U.S. support.
Jordan
US$3.2 billion
Jordan is the third-largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, according to the State Department and USAID expense tracker. About half of the funds allocated to the country in 2023 went to military aid.
This spending was already useful in the Israel-Hamas war, when Jordan joined the United States in defending Israel against a wave of Iranian drone and missile attacks last month. The unprecedented attack on Israel was completely stopped by the combined defenses of the three countries.
Jordan too helped the US with airdrops of humanitarian aid to Gaza during the March conflict.
Egypt
US$2.9 billion
Foreign spending in Egypt has come under additional scrutiny over the past year following the indictment of Senator Bob Menendez (DN.J.).
Menéndez, who stepped down as chairman of the Foreign Relations Commission during the investigation, is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands in bribes from interests in Egypt.
Following the indictment, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who became foreign affairs chairman when Menéndez left office, retained US$235 million bound for Egypt, criticizing the country’s obstinate record on human rights and press freedom.
“Congress has made clear, through law, that the Egyptian government’s record on a range of critical issues of human rights, good governance and the rule of law must improve if our bilateral relationship is to be sustained,” Cardin said in October.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (NY), the top Democrat on the House peer committee, issued a statement similar request weeks before.
The controversy comes as Egypt plays a central role in the Israel-Hamas war. Egyptian diplomats acted as intermediaries between Israel, the US and Hamas, and Cairo hosted ceasefire talks last week.
Ethiopia
US$2.0 billion
Allocations to Ethiopia are earmarked almost entirely for humanitarian aid, as the country’s regions struggle with a deep famine and civil unrest. The northern Tigray region descended into ethnic conflict in 2022, with rebel and government forces clashing as thousands of people starved to death.
YOU SAID resumption of food aid to the region in December, five months after taking the extraordinary step of suspending its national program due to a massive corruption scheme by local authorities.
The rare combination of drought, conflict and other factors disrupting the food supply has made Ethiopia one of the biggest beneficiaries of US humanitarian aid. About a sixth of Ethiopians received food aid before the food theft was discovered early last year.
Nigeria
US$1.5 billion
Nigeria’s foreign aid spending focuses on health care and access to food. The US has spent about $250 million to contain the spread of HIV and AIDS in the country by 2023, according to USAID, as well as another $130 million on other health needs.
The country also has areas where food is in dire need, which generated an additional $250 million in spending on food access and other expenses presented by the State Department in the “emergency response” category.
Most support is channeled through non-governmental organizations and charities operating in the country.
Somalia
US$1.3 billion
Nearly all funds allocated to Somalia are under emergency food access designation as the country continues to struggle after decades of civil unrest.
About $700 million of the spending is in partnership with the United Nations, which has had a constant presence in the country for decades in the midst of a looming civil war with breakaway Somaliland.
Just over 100 million dollars will be allocated to financing UN peacekeeping missions in the country.
Kenya
US$1.1 billion
In Kenya, US humanitarian assistance is distributed between health, access to food and economic development.
The largest expenditure is made in partnership with the World Food Program in the region, while the government has also invested significant sums in combating the spread of HIV and AIDS and supporting local agriculture.
