Bannon Rips GOP Leaders Over Reported $58 Billion Ukraine Aid Push

Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has intensified criticism of Republican senators Lindsey Graham, Tom Cotton and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell over what he says is a push for an additional $55-$58 billion U.S. assistance package for Ukraine. In a series of remarks on his "War Room" program, Bannon called the proposal "an insult to Americans" and said it would effectively finance Ukrainian pensions and government salaries while U.S. social-security programs face pressure. Bannon asserted that European governments lack the political will or financial resources to shoulder a larger share of the war effort, arguing that Washington is being left to underwrite Kyiv’s military and public-sector payrolls. He cited, without providing sourcing, casualty figures of 1.7 million Ukrainian dead and wounded and claimed President Volodymyr Zelensky is privately seeking as much as $300 billion in longer-term support. The commentary underscores a widening split inside the Republican Party over continued funding for Ukraine. Bannon, aligned with former President Donald Trump’s more isolationist approach, warned that further U.S. spending would only prolong the conflict and increase Ukrainian losses. Senators Graham, Cotton and McConnell have not publicly detailed any new legislation matching the dollar amounts Bannon referenced, but Congress is expected to revisit Ukraine funding when it returns from its August recess.