A new survey has shown that 57% of Americans believe the US spends “too much” on foreign aid.
Around half of US voters believe that their country is needlessly wasting taxpayer dollars on supporting its foreign partners such as Israel and Ukraine, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll. Overall, 57% of respondents said that the US government spends “too much” on foreign aid in general, the survey of 1,126 likely voters conducted on April 16-18 found. President Joe Biden signed a new $95 billion funding package on Wednesday, under which Ukraine is slated to receive $48bn in weapons and other assistance while another $23bn will be used to replenish the Pentagon’s depleted stocks. Even before the latest bonanza cleared procedural hurdles, around 47% said it was “too much,” while around 20% wanted Washington to spend even more cash.
The respondents were more supportive of US aid to Israel, with 49% saying that $14 billion intended for West Jerusalem was either “about right” or “not enough.” A survey, conducted earlier this month also showed waning public support for continuing to send weapons to Kiev. Just 53% of US adults believe their government should give military aid to Ukraine, down from 72% two years ago. Support for Ukraine aid was highest (72%) among Americans who believe the US has a “responsibility to promote democracy” across the world, that poll showed. Among those who see no such obligation for their country, only 28% believe Washington should give military aid to Ukraine.