As McConnell pushes for more Ukraine aid, Republican opposition grows louder
March 1, 2023
Mitch McConnell returned from an overseas trip to Europe and the Middle East steeled in his conviction to plow more U.S. investment into defending Ukraine, at a moment when the vocal populist wing of the Republican Party is calling an open-ended commitment unacceptable.
“More must be done across the alliance to rebuild our defense capacity and give Ukraine the weapons they need to defeat Russia’s aggression,” McConnell said on the Senate floor Monday afternoon following last week’s voyage to Germany
McConnell’s more hawkish position aligns him with President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer but places him at odds with the two men considered most likely to carry the GOP banner in 2024, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Still, the Senate GOP leader told the Munich Security Conference that GOP leaders still overwhelmingly support Ukraine’s battle against Russia. “Don’t look at Twitter, look at the people in power,” he instructed.
Nonetheless, McConnell’s home state colleague, Rand Paul, blasted an email to supporters on Sunday linking neoconservatives with Democrats as responsible for getting the U.S. “involved in never-ending wars accompanied by a blank check signed by taxpayers.”
“It’s time for us to STOP sending aid to countries like Ukraine and instead focus our efforts helping Americans here at home,” wrote Paul, a long-time anti-interventionist.
Rep. James Comer, who leads the House Oversight Committee, wants an itemized receipt of America’s tab. He’s requested the Defense Department, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development document exactly how they’ve spent the $113 billion allocated by the U.S. government.
“Providing security and humanitarian assistance for warfighting and reconstruction purposes comes with an inherent risk of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Comer wrote in a letter joined by his GOP colleagues on the committee.
While Congress has greenlit more than $100 billion for Ukraine, less than a third of it – about $32 billion – has been spent, according to reports.
But as the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its second year and with Congress back in session this week, scrutiny of U.S. involvement is peaking.
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“Don’t look at Twitter, look at the people in power,” he instructed.