In his critique of Senator Tommy Tuberville’s stance on military aid to Ukraine, Tom Nichols, a staff writer for The Atlantic, sharply rebutted the Alabama Republican’s claims that the U.S. should focus on domestic issues rather than supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Nichols highlighted the recurring false narrative in U.S. politics that foreign aid to other nations diverts money from important domestic programs.
He argued that this perspective is misleading, noting that most American foreign aid, which constitutes less than 1% of the federal budget, directly benefits the U.S. economy, as the weapons and products sent abroad are often made in the United States.
Nichols further criticized Tuberville’s apparent lack of awareness about the economic ties between defense spending and American manufacturing, pointing out that many of the weapons sent to Ukraine are produced in Alabama.
He also dismissed the myth that the U.S. cannot afford to continue aiding Ukraine, emphasizing that a small portion of the defense budget has significantly weakened Russia’s military capabilities.
Nichols argued that claims of the U.S. being financially strained by foreign aid are a tired narrative, echoing the historical debate of guns and butter, where conservatives once acknowledged the country’s ability to fund both military defense and domestic welfare.