Congress’ self-inflicted chaos could have real-world consequences after Russia launched one of its deadliest attacks on civilians. With America’s inability to send further aid entirely dependent on the election for Speaker of the House and funding for Ukraine reportedly running low, Congress’ dysfunction might hurt Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
The good news is that there are some things that the U.S. government can do to help the war effort, even if Congress remains stuck in turmoil.
One thing that can be done is regulators can work to ensure that taxpayer dollars aren’t inadvertently going to help Russia or its war effort. American funds shouldn’t be allowed to go to companies helping Russia’s economy stay afloat.
One such company is Airbus — the European aircraft manufacturer — which is refusing to end its purchases of Russian titanium, according to Nicholas Chretien, Airbus’ Head of Sustainability and Environment, even though it promised to do so nearly a year ago.
“An immediate and full withdrawal of titanium sourcing from Russia would significantly damage the entire aerospace industry in Europe,” Chretien wrote in a June letter to pro-Ukraine group B4Urkaine. “(T)he impact would be marginal for Russia.”
Airbus recently received part of a $476 million contract with NASA to provide commercial satellite imagery. In fact, Airbus’ U.S. Space and Defense division is expanding into Florida with a new facility because it expects to do more business with the U.S. government.
It makes little sense for the United States to give taxpayers’ money to a company undermining our efforts in Ukraine — and closer attention from regulators may provide the spark Airbus needs to keep its promises.
In a December 2022 statement, Airbus promised to stop buying Russian titanium completely, promising to end the purchases in “months.”
“We are in the process of decoupling from Russia when it comes to titanium. It will be a matter of months, not years,” said Michael Schoellhorn, chief executive of Airbus Defense & Space.
However, as Airbus now acknowledges, that hasn’t happened.
While Airbus wants to use the excuse that ending titanium purchasing won’t hurt Russia all that much, its U.S.-based competitors seem to have had no problem finding other titanium sources.
In fact, South Africa, China, Australia, Canada, Norway and India have proven titanium reserves that would no doubt be willing to sell to Airbus. These countries would allow Airbus to stop buying Russian titanium quickly without any of the damage the European aerospace industry claims it would suffer.
U.S. regulators should be able to keep taxpayer dollars from going to companies supporting Russia’s bloody and illegal war in Ukraine.
If Airbus hopes to keep competing for future U.S. defense contracts — like its current bid to make the Air Force’s next aerial refueling tanker — it should stop doing business with Vladimir Putin.
We don’t know when Congress will be able to pass new Ukraine military funding because without a speaker, no new spending bills will be able to move forward. If funding does dry up, it will be even more critical for federal regulators to keep a close eye on firms like Airbus that take American taxpayer dollars while still doing business with Russia. Cheap titanium should not come at the cost of innocent Ukrainian lives.