This is an opinion column

“I regard myself as a Reagan Republican. I understand the concept of maintaining peace through strength,” said Speaker Mike Johnson. In any other era, a Republican who supported the independence of a former Soviet state against the resurgence of the U.S.S.R would be hailed as a hero. Today, he’s not sure if he’ll even keep his job. History suggests that Johnson understands American DNA in a way his detractors do not.

When Ben Franklin arrived in Paris in December of 1776, he understood that failure was not an option. As the first official representative of the United States in France, he worked tirelessly to secure secret shipments of French weapons, equipment, and uniforms. The consequences of his mission were quite literally either liberty or death.

He had little to offer the French.

The American legend was also a remarkable bluffer who claimed that George Washington’s army was about five times larger than reality. He dismissed British victories and claimed that the British would need an army of 200,000 to overcome the Americans. Ignoring a string of decisive defeats, he claimed that King George III was playing into Washington’s hands.

None of it was true.

For the better part of a year, Franklin heard little from Congress. Americans were unmistakably outgunned, outmanned, and undersupplied in every battle against the wealthy and powerful British Empire.

And then Franklin received the news he needed. On December 4, 1777, Franklin learned that the Americans had shockingly beaten the British at the Battle of Saratoga. It was enough good news. The victory gave the French the confidence they needed to sign treaties of alliance with the Americans.

The rest is history.

Without what amounts to billions of dollars in foreign aid to the Continental Army, the American Revolution would have almost certainly failed. We Americans are a living, breathing testament to the fact that it did not.

To be clear, there were colonists who agitated for surrender. They could not imagine a world where the rag tag colonial army could defeat an empire. It simply wasn’t reasonable. Like Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), they too believed managed surrender was the only path for survival.

The loyalists are now a historical footnote. They were the doubters who would exchange liberty for security and stability. I’m not sure what we call those who ignore our history and refuse the same aid that was given to our nation in its infancy.

America must constantly make decisions about how we spend our money. It’s about priorities. The amount Johnson is proposing to spend supporting Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan is less than the amount the United States lost to fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. If we’re going to finally draw a fiscal line in the sand, we should start with the money we’re quite literally wasting first.

When it comes to foreign aid, we should demand our leaders in Congress and the White House develop and communicate a plan for our strategic objectives and accountability to ensure they’re accomplished. Our interests in western Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific aren’t particularly difficult to articulate. President Ronald Reagan called it peace through strength.

Johnson understands the principle. He’s willing to lose one of the most powerful positions in American politics because of his willingness to support American interests abroad. Republicans need more leaders like him who aren’t swayed by the fevered threats of a vocal minority.

Too many of my Republican brethren cast aspersions on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for coming hat-in-hand to Congress for help in defending his country. We should remember that Benjamin Franklin did it first, and we’re free Americans because of it.

(Editor’s Note: The House on Saturday approved, in a series of votes, $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, with Democrats and Republicans joining together after a grueling monthslong fight over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion.)

Smith is a recovering political attorney with four boys, two dogs, a bearded dragon, and an extremely patient wife. He’s a partner in a media company, a business strategy wonk, and a regular on talk radio. Please direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X or @davidcameronsmith on Threads.