J.D. Vance: U.S. Filled European Defense Void at Americans’ Expense

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH)  argued on Monday in an op-ed that the United States filling in the European defense void amounts to an “implied tax” on Americans.

Vance wrote an op-ed for the Financial Times about America’s lavish spending to aid the defense of Europe, which has contributed not only to America’s staggering nearly $1 trillion defense budget, but also to Europe’s diminished defense budgets.

The Ohio senator contended, “As the American defense budget nears $1tn per year, we ought to view the money Europe hasn’t spent on defense for what it really is: an implied tax on the American people to allow for the security of Europe.”

Vance continued:

Nothing in recent memory demonstrates this more clearly than the war in Ukraine. There is frankly no good reason that aid from the US should be needed. Europe is made up of many great nations with productive economies. They ought to have the capacity to handle the conflict, but over decades they have become far too weak. America has been asked to fill the void at tremendous expense to its own citizens. [Emphasis added]

The Ohio senator suggested in the op-ed that America’s defense of Europe raises questions about the relationship between Europe and the United States.

He noted, “The question each European nation needs to ask itself is this: are you prepared to defend yourself? And the question the U.S. must ask is: if our European allies can’t even defend themselves, are they allies, or clients?”

Vance explained:

We owe it to our European partners to be honest: Americans want allies in Europe, not client states, and our generosity in Ukraine is coming to an end. Europeans should regard the conclusion of the war there as an imperative. They must keep rebuilding their industrial and military capabilities. And Europe should consider how exactly it is going to live with Russia when the war in Ukraine is over.

Vance added, “But the time has come for Europe to stand on its own feet. That doesn’t mean it has to stand alone, but it must not continue to use America as a crutch.”

Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.