Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the well-connected Democrat who was nearly picked as Kamala Harris’ running mate, refuses to send the Pennsylvania National Guard to protect the U.S. border, but has sent more than 150 American troops to boost Ukraine’s war effort.
Shapiro and Sen. Bob Casey, D-Penn., on Sunday hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (SCAAP) in Lackawanna County, one of two major munitions plants in northeastern Pennsylvania. SCAAP is a U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command facility that manufactures large-caliber projectiles and mortar projectiles for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The United States has already spent $56 billion in support of Ukraine, and Zelensky is back, hat in hand, asking for more money, more weapons with more range into Russia, and international diplomatic support.
Photos show Shapiro and Zelensky at the munitions plant writing on large-caliber projectiles presumably meant for Russia. There is something jarring about an anti-gun governor laughing and writing messages on weapons that kill people.
Signs Agreement with Russia-Occupied Region
During Zelensky’s visit, Shapiro also signed Pennsylvania up for a five-year sister state agreement with Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, which is mostly occupied by Russia. Zaporizhzhia holds a vital nuclear power plant that Russia has occupied since March 2022.
The agreement with Pennsylvania claims it will help the Zaporizhzhia region rebuild after the war while creating businesses opportunities in Pennsylvania.
The agreement contains just one sentence about financial contributions, saying each participant will bear its own expenses in connection with the agreement.
Prioritizing Ukraine Over U.S. Borders
The U.S. Department of Defense announced in December 2022 that it was expanding U.S.-led training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The program trains one Ukrainian battalion per month and helps Ukrainian units learn how to use specialized equipment.
This month, Shapiro deployed more than 150 soldiers from the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Germany. The Pennsylvania National Guard “Task Force Independence” is currently training Ukrainian forces in combined arms and maneuver training for battalion-sized units.
Maj. Gen. Mark Schindler, Pennsylvania’s adjutant general and head of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said in a statement that training is key to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield.
In March, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a resolution that called on Shapiro to send Pennsylvania National Guard troops to the U.S. border between Texas and Mexico.
“The more than 7.3 million illegal migrants that have crossed the southwest border under President Joe Biden’s watch has brought stress to communities throughout Pennsylvania with fentanyl overdoses and synthetic opioids,” Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward said at the time. “We are seeing our taxpayer dollars redirected away from hard working taxpayers who need and use government programs, to illegal lawbreakers entering our country, adding to the continuing federal debt and inevitably affecting our state budget. To protect our nation and state from further deterioration, Gov. Shapiro must support Texas to secure our nation’s border by deploying the Pennsylvania National Guard to Texas in support of Operation Lone Star.”
Within hours of Ward’s statement, Shapiro announced he would not deploy the Pennsylvania National Guard for the U.S. border.
Presidential politics may be behind Sunday’s display of Ukrainian support. Battleground Pennsylvania has one of the largest concentrations of Ukrainian Americans in the nation, with a population of 104,929. They settled largely in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and lean conservative, preserving their culture through the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and cultural clubs. Many have supported Donald Trump in the past.
But many also still have family in Ukraine and have strong feelings about the war. It is possible this Democrat-led photo opportunity for Shapiro, Casey and Zelensky could sway some Ukrainian Americans to vote Democrat in Pennsylvania.
Beth Brelje is an elections correspondent for The Federalist. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with decades of media experience.
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