If you knew that most of the military aid that Congress approves for Ukraine was being spent right here in the United States, quite possibly in your own congressional district — strengthening our defense production capacity and creating good manufacturing jobs for American workers — would you want your representatives in Washington to support it?
But our military aid to Ukraine is also revitalizing our defense industrial base, creating hot production lines for the weapons we need to deter potential adversaries and creating manufacturing jobs in the United States. That’s because 90 percent of the $68 billion in military and related assistance Congress has thus far approved is not going to Ukraine but is being spent in the United States, according to an analysis by Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
With a team of researchers at the American Enterprise Institute, I have catalogued the weapons systems being produced in the United States for Ukraine, identifying the congressional districts where they are being made and how House members voted on the funding. We analyzed contracts and news releases and spoke to defense industry experts, diplomats and Pentagon officials to determine where U.S. tax dollars end up. We found that our military aid is providing a major cash infusion to 122 defense production lines in 65 congressional districts across the country that directly benefits American workers — and that doesn’t count all the suppliers that provide these contractors with parts or all the shops, restaurants and other businesses that support the factories rolling out weapons in these districts.
| STATE | DISTRICTS | HOUSE MEMBERS | WEAPONS EXAMPLES |
| Alabama | AL-02; AL-03; AL-05 | Barry Moore (R); Mike D. Rogers (R); Dale W. Strong (R) | M1A1 Abrams tank; Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (M2A4); M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Evacuation System (Hercules) |
| Arkansas | AR-03; AR-04 | Steve Womack (R); Bruce Westerman (R) | 155-milimeter artillery components; Army Tactical Missile System (ATACM); Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB); Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile |
| Florida | FL-01; FL-02; FL-08; FL-10; FL-13 | Matt Gaetz (R); Neal Dunn (R); Bill Posey (R); Maxwell Frost (D); Anna Paulina Luna (R) | AN/TPQ-53; Javelin; High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) universal launcher; M1A1 Abrams tank; Stryker armored personnel carriers |
| Georgia | GA-05 | Nikema Williams (D) | Altius-600 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) |
| Kentucky | KY-06 | Andy Barr (R) | 155-milimeter artillery components |
| Louisiana | LA-01 | Steve Scalise (R) | M1117 armored security vehicles |
| Mississippi | MS-01; MS-03 | Trent Kelly (R); Michael Guest (R) | National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) — AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar |
| North Carolina | NC-03; NC-04 | Greg Murphy (R); Valerie Foushee (D) | CyberLux K8 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS); High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) |
| Oklahoma | OK-02; OK-04 | Josh Brecheen (R); Tom Cole (R) | M777 howitzer (155-millimeter) parts (Paladin M109A7) |
| South Carolina | SC-02 | Joe Wilson (R) | M777 howitzer (155-millimeter) parts (Paladin M109A7) |
| Tennessee | TN-01; TN-09 | Diana Harshbarger (R); Steve Cohen (D) | 155-milimeter artillery components; C-4 explosives |
| Virginia | VA-09 | Morgan Griffith (R) | 155-milimeter artillery components |
| West Virginia | WV-02 | Alex Mooney (R) | High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rocket motors |
A lot of Ukraine aid is going to congressional districts in the South whose members oppose it. For example, Ukraine aid is funding High Mobility Artillery Rocket (HIMARS), Hellfire and Javelin engineering in Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R) Niceville, Fla., district. It is funding HIMARS launchers and VAMPIRE Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems munitions in Rep. Bill Posey’s (R) Melbourne, Fla., district. It is funding HIMARS guidance sets and AN/TPQ-53 radar systems in Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R) Clearwater, Fla., District; HIMARS and Javelin final assembly in Rep. Barry Moore’s (R) Troy, Ala., district; and HIMARS rocket motor production in Rep. Alex Mooney’s (R) Rocket Center, W.Va., district. It is funding production of C-4 explosives for Ukraine in Rep. Diana Harshbarger’s (R) Kingsport, Tenn., district and Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM-ER) glide bombs in Rep. Josh Brecheen’s (R) Grove, Okla., district.
This despite those members’ opposition to the funding.
| STATE | DISTRICTS | HOUSE MEMBERS | WEAPONS EXAMPLES |
| Illinois | IL-12; IL-16 | Mike Bost (R); Darin LaHood (R) | High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) engine; 120mm tank ammunition; medium caliber ammunition |
| Indiana | IN-02 | Rudy Yakym (R) | Armored Humvees (M1152A1) |
| Iowa | IA-01 | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) | 155-milimeter artillery components; M58 Mine Clearing Line Charge systems; mortar rounds |
| Michigan | MI-03; MI-10 | Hillary J. Scholten (D); John James (R) | M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Evacuation System (Hercules); M777 howitzer (155-millimeter) parts |
| Minnesota | MN-05 | Ilhan Omar (D) | Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (c-UAS) ammunition; M777 howitzer (155-millimeter) parts |
| Missouri | MO-03; MO-08 | Blaine Luetkemeyer (R); Jason T. Smith (R) | MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (Patriot) missile |
| Nebraska | NE-01 | Mike Flood (R) | Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS)/High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launch tubes and launch-pod containers |
| Ohio | OH-01; OH-04 | Greg Landsman (D); Jim Jordan (R) | M1A1 Abrams tank; Stryker armored personnel carriers |
| Wisconsin | WI-06 | Glenn Grothman (R) | Mine Resistant Ambush Protected all-terrain vehicles (M-ATV); MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles |
Workers in Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R) Lima, Ohio, congressional district are churning out Abrams tanks and Stryker combat vehicles for Ukraine thanks to the military aid he has opposed.
| STATE | DISTRICTS | HOUSE MEMBERS | WEAPONS EXAMPLES |
| Arizona | AZ-07 | Raúl Grijalva (D) | AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM); Javelin; Stinger missile |
| California | CA-02; CA-03; CA-24; CA-25; CA-26; CA-45 | Jared Huffman (D); Kevin Kiley (R); Salud Carbajal (D); Raul Ruiz (D); Julia Brownley (D); Michelle Steel (R) | National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) — AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar; Phoenix Ghost unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) |
| New Mexico | NM-02; NM-03 | Gabe Vasquez (D); Teresa Leger Fernandez (D) | BGM-71 heavy tube-launched, optically tracked, wireless-guided (TOW) missile |
| Texas | TX-05; TX-30; TX-33 | Lance Gooden (R); Jasmine Crockett (D); Marc Veasey (D) | High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)/Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) launcher maintenance support 155m artillery metal parts |
In Rep. Lance Gooden’s (R) Mesquite, Tex., district, Ukraine aid is also funding a brand-new factory that is expected to produce about 20,000 155mm artillery shells a month and employ at least 125 workers after it comes online this year — despite his vote against the aid.
| STATE | DISTRICTS | HOUSE MEMBERS | WEAPONS EXAMPLES |
| Delaware | DE-At-Large | Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) | Antipersonnel M18A1 Claymore |
| Maine | ME-01 | Chellie Pingree (D) | MK 19 grenade launcher |
| Massachusetts | MA-06 | Seth Moulton (D) | Homing All the Way Killer (HAWK) air defense systems; MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (Patriot) missile |
| New Hampshire | NH-01; NH-02 | Chris Pappas (D); Ann Kuster (D) | Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (c-UAS) AGR-20 laser-guided rocket systems (APKWS) |
| New Jersey | NJ-03; NJ-12 | Andy Kim (D); Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) | High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) wheels and tires; AN/TPQ-53 radar |
| New York | NY-19; NY-22 | Marcus J. Molinaro (R); Brandon Williams (R) | AN/TPQ-53 radar; Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB); M777 howitzer (155-millimeter) parts (Paladin M109A7) |
| Pennsylvania | PA-01; PA-03; PA-08; PA-10; PA-11; PA-13 | Brian Fitzpatrick (R); Dwight Evans (D); Matt Cartwright (D); Scott Perry (R); Lloyd Smucker (R); John Joyce (R) | Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB); MIM-104 Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (Patriot) missile |
| Vermont | VT-AL | Becca Balint (D) | AIM-9X Sidewinder missile |
Rep. Scott Perry’s (R) constituents are producing Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, Bradley fire support team vehicles and Hercules recovery vehicles for Ukraine in his York, Pa., district over his objections. Americans are also making Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) and Patriot air defense missiles in Rep. John Joyce’s (R) Letterkenny/Chambersburg, Pa., district, despite his opposition.
Like the previous military aid that Congress has approved, about 80 percent of the new military aid package for Ukraine will go to Americans, CSIS’s Cancian told me — including $23.2 billion to replenish U.S. stockpiles of weapons and equipment we have already provided to Ukraine and $13.8 billion to allow Ukraine to rearm itself through the purchase of weapons and munitions from the U.S. defense industrial base.
In many cases, the weapons being produced are not going to Ukraine at all. Instead, we are sending older versions of the weapons systems to Kyiv from our stockpiles and replacing them with brand-new, more advanced versions — thus using Ukraine aid money to modernize our military. Our aid is restarting production lines for weapons that would otherwise have remained dormant, such as Stinger antiaircraft missiles, which hadn’t been produced since 2005.
For example: The Patriot air defense system, which has been critical to the defense of both Ukraine and Israel. The new Ukraine aid package includes $1.5 billion to increase production of the most advanced PAC-3 Patriot aerial-attack interceptors. In 2018, the United States was building those missiles at an anemic rate of 350 a year. In December, thanks in part to Ukraine aid, that production increased to 500 a year — and the new aid package will increase it to 650. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R), whose Camden, Ark., district produces the most advanced of these interceptors, has a mixed record on Ukraine aid — voting against aid in 2022 but for it in 2023.
The new aid package includes $5.3 billion to reach the Army’s goal producing 100,000 155mm artillery rounds per month — money that will benefit factories receiving Ukraine aid for this purpose in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Bristol, Pa.; Camden, Ark.; Kingsport and Cordova, Tenn.; Middletown, Iowa; Coachella, Calif.; and Mesquite, Tex.
It includes $550 million to produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) which are currently being built in Camden, Ark., Lincoln, Neb., and Springboro, Ohio.
It includes $348 million to produced TOW antitank guided missiles which are already being manufactured with Ukraine aid in Diné and Farmington, N.M, and Tucson, Ariz., and $227 million to produce Javelin antitank missiles with existing production lines in Farmington, N.M.; Orlando; Tucson, Ariz.; and Troy, Ala., as well as funding for many other critical weapons systems.
These investments will help protect Ukrainian civilians from Russian aggression, while strengthening America’s defenses so we are prepared to deter future adversaries.
Opinion | Ukraine Aid Benefits These Congressional Districts - The Washington Post
Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 20 April 2024
