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Taxpayers Respond to 'Enraging' Report About Where US Money Is Going in Ukraine

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  September 25, 2023 2:45 PM

The subject of Ukraine spending is being fiercely debated on Capitol Hill as lawmakers quarrel over whether it should be included in the Pentagon funding bill. Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene said Sunday she’s now a “hard no” after Speaker Kevin McCarthy reversed an earlier decision and said funding for the war-torn country would be included. 

Greene’s position is that there are plenty of issues plaguing the U.S. right now, and instead of prioritizing those, such as securing our southern border, billions are being sent to “fight a proxy war with Russia.” 

Since the start of the war, taxpayers have spent more than $75 billion in aid, the Council on Foreign Relations reports. And while most of the taxpayer money has gone toward military support, the country has received financial and humanitarian assistance as well. But what does this really look like? 

CBS News went to Ukraine to find out how Americans’ money is being spent. Beyond the Bradley fighting vehicles, javelins, and ammunition, there are many surprising ways U.S. aid is being used. 

We discovered the U.S. government's buying seeds and fertilizer for Ukrainian farmers… and covering the salaries of Ukraine's first responders – all 57,000 of them. 

That includes the team that trains this rescue dog – named Joy – to comb through the wreckage of Russian strikes looking for survivors.

And the U.S. also funds the divers who we saw clearing unexploded ammunition from the country's rivers – to make them safe again for swimming and fishing.

Russia's invasion shrank Ukraine's economy by about a third. We were surprised to find that to keep it afloat the U.S. government is subsidizing small businesses…

…like Tatiana Abramova's knitwear company. 

Holly Williams: These are Ukrainian towns - that's Kyiv I recognize. 

Tatiana Abramova: Yes, yah! It's Kyiv. 

Tatiana Abramova: Especially in the condition of war, we have to work. We have to pay taxes, we have to pay wage-- salary to our employees. We have to work, don't stop.

Holly Williams: Why does that help Ukraine win the war?

Tatiana Abramova: Because economy is the foundation of everything.

American officials from USAID – the agency in charge of international development – helped Abramova find new customers overseas. In the midst of war, her company is supporting over 70 families. 

Tatiana Abramova: We realize that it's the aid from government, but it's the aid from the heart of every ordinary American person.

Holly Williams: How do you feel about that?

Tatiana Abramova: Grateful. Great.

In total, America's pumped nearly $25 billion of non-military aid into Ukraine's economy since the invasion began – and you can see it working at the bustling farmers market on John McCain Street in central Kyiv.

The late senator is revered in Ukraine because he pushed the U.S. government to start sending arms to the country after Russia first invaded – back in 2014. (CBS News)

The report prompted outrage among taxpayers. 

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