Topline
A growing minority of Republicans believe the U.S. is doing too much to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a poll released by Morning Consult on Thursday—the same day that Senate Democrats and Republicans voted overwhelmingly to approve $40 billion in aid for Ukraine—that found 27% of GOP voters now think the U.S. is too involved in the war.
A view of a damaged building hit by recent shelling in Ukraine’s second-biggest city of Kharkiv is … [+]
Key Facts
Morning Consult found the percentage of Republican voters who believed the U.S. was doing too much to aid Ukraine more than doubled from 13% in an early March survey to 27% in a May 14-16 survey.
Over the same 10-week period, the share of GOP voters who thought the U.S. was not doing enough to halt Russia’s invasion dropped from 36% to 25%, and the percentage who thought the U.S. was doing the correct amount stayed fairly stable, at 32% in March and 34% in May.
Meanwhile, Democrats’ views have remained consistent since the start of the war: More than 70% said the United States was providing either taking enough action or not doing enough in this month’s survey, compared to just 15% who said the U.S. was doing too much.
Some 39% of all voters think the U.S. is doing enough to assist Ukraine, while 20% said the U.S. is doing too much and 25% said not enough.
Morning Consult polled around 2,000 people, including at least 657 Republican voters, from May 14 to 16.
Tangent
Data from Pew Research Center last week showed most Republicans disapprove of the Biden Administration’s response to the war and most Democrats are supportive. However, Republican disapproval fell by 12 points over the past two months, reaching 55% in last week’s survey, while Democratic approval dropped from 69% to 63% over the same period.
Key Background
The survey’s results came as the Senate overwhelmingly approved $40 billion in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine on Thursday, a bill that will now be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk for his expected signature. Some 11 Senate Republicans voted against the package, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who delayed the bill’s passage for a week after unsuccessfully pushing for the legislation’s text to be changed to allow an inspector general to oversee how the money was spent. Biden urged lawmakers to speed up the process last week, saying the administration will soon run out of resources to send to Ukraine.
Big Number
About $3.8 billion. That’s how much military assistance the United States has provided to Ukraine since Russia began its invasion in February, the Pentagon said last week. Aid shipments already sent to Ukraine have included Stinger and Javelin missiles, howitzers, helicopters, vehicles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones.
Further Reading
Senate Passes $40 Billion Ukraine Aid Package After Weeklong Delay (Forbes)
Republicans Are Warming To Biden’s Handling Of Ukraine Crisis, Poll Finds (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/05/19/27-of-republicans-think-us-is-doing-too-much-to-aid-ukraine-but-that-share-is-growing/