The Eisenhower Media Network (EMN), a project of the People's Power Initiative led by Ben & Jerry's founder Ben Cohen, has launched a media campaign against US military support for Ukraine. The group has been contacting journalists to argue that the US is spending too much money attempting to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion. Some members of EMN, which promotes a group of US military veterans as experts and pundits, have echoed Kremlin propaganda lines by suggesting that US military support for Ukraine is extending and intensifying the fighting. They also argue that NATO expansion was one of the causes of the war. Cohen has given over $1 million to the People's Power Initiative via the Ben Cohen Charitable Trust, according to public records.
The EMN's stance has been criticized for aligning with the talking points of fringe Republicans such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, who also argue that Washington is overspending in defense of Ukraine. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis claimed that defeating Putin was not in the US's "vital national interests." The group has also claimed that spending on Ukraine is so high that the US government may have to default on its basic duty to pay the salaries of military personnel and cut social security and pension checks during the debt ceiling crisis. EMN's associate director, Matthew Hoh, a former State Department staffer and Marine Corps captain, said that "It's time to think about pausing funding for Ukraine if we cannot afford it."
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