A U.S. ”Loan” to Ukraine Might Be a Little Too Cute

Plus, more Apple antitrust, and Bernie Marcus’s warning

One possible way of un-sticking additional tens of billions in aid to Ukraine is to structure the money as a loan rather than a grant. President Trump floated the idea in his remarks this past weekend, and Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said in a March 18 statement that he met in Ukraine with President Zelensky and informed him, “President Trump’s idea of turning aid from the United States into a no-interest, waivable loan is the most likely path forward. This is not only true for aid for Ukraine, but for other countries across the board.”

“Waivable” seems to be the most significant word in that statement, maybe more important even than the word “loan.” The Republicans are no dummies. They read the newspapers.

Today’s New York Times reports, “The Biden administration continued its effort to extend student debt relief on Thursday, erasing an additional $5.8 billion in federal loans for nearly 78,000 borrowers, including teachers, firefighters and others who largely work in the public sector. To date, the administration has canceled $143.6 billion in loans for nearly four million borrowers through various actions, fixes and federal relief programs.”

If Biden can cancel $143.6 billion in federal student loans, what’s the additional big deal if he, or Trump, cancels another $60 billion in loans to Ukraine?

The two situations aren’t precisely the same, but they are similar in certain significant ways.