The Republican clash over Ukraine funding
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for aid. New House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to focus on Israel first.
The battle for House speaker is finally over, but Republicans in Congress might not be done fighting each other. Politico reported that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is going “all out” to firm up U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia — a quest that puts him “at odds with new Republican Speaker Mike Johnson,” who wants to split Ukraine aid from a package of support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
McConnell sees both wars as part of the same struggle, The Hill reported. In a speech Monday in his home state of Kentucky, the minority leader said it is “to impose real consequences on the tyrants who have terrorized the people of Ukraine and of Israel.” But Johnson is taking a different angle: He said the House will vote this week on a $14 billion Israel-only bill. That means the two leaders are probably “headed for a showdown.”
“This could be a legacy-defining moment” for McConnell, Punchbowl News reported. He has been “Ukraine’s top supporter in Congress” and sees no reason — as do some in his party — to pick a fight with Democrats on the issue. But McConnell’s old-school hawkishness conflicts with the more isolationist tendencies of the MAGA crowd that gave Johnson his newfound power. “As of now, however, the House and Senate GOP leadership remain on completely different wavelengths.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'We need to pick and choose'
McConnell isn’t just facing down House Republicans. There is dissent among GOP senators as well. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) went on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday to say the Israel and Ukraine packages could be considered separately. “There's broad bipartisan consensus that we should be supporting Israel,” Vance said. That’s not the case in Ukraine. Besides, he said, the U.S. doesn’t have enough resources for both countries’ wars. “We need to pick and choose.”
Johnson has also been among the Ukraine skeptics. The Washington Post reported that the new speaker has an “F” rating from Republicans for Ukraine, “having consistently voted with a minority of House Republicans against sending money.” But Johnson’s rhetoric “has often aligned with the party’s Russia hawks” and he has suggested some flexibility on the issue since his ascension. “Now, we can’t allow Vladimir Putin to prevail in Ukraine,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, adding: “We’re not going to abandon them.”
That doesn’t mean he plans to make any of this easy. “Johnson is showing a special taste for confrontation in his early days with the gavel,” Politico reported. Indeed, the $14 billion aid package for Israel comes with a condition: It’s contingent on budget cuts for the Internal Revenue Service. That “doesn’t make a lot of sense” but the proposal offered Republicans a tangible accomplishment: “The libs, after all, were owned.”
'All connected'
So will Johnson come around on Ukraine aid? “I’m hopeful that he will decide that it was important to support Ukraine, as well,” McConnell said after the two men met last Thursday. He is supporting President Joe Biden’s proposal that links Ukraine and Israel aid together, along with funding for Taiwan and some new cash for U.S. border security. “I think it’s all connected,” McConnell said.
“This could very well be the final massive piece of legislation” of the 81-year-old McConnell’s career, Business Insider noted. And it shows: McConnell is known for “commenting sparingly and sometimes leaving his own colleagues out of the loop on his thinking.” His “very public push” for Ukraine aid is a different approach, one that signifies his priorities.
As for Johnson, he has signaled there will be some movement on a separate aid bill for Ukraine — but all in good time. “There are lots of things going on around the world that we have to address, and we will,” he said Sunday on Fox News. “But right now, what’s happening in Israel takes the immediate attention.” Ukraine might get more U.S. backing, in other words, but it will have to wait its turn.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
Today's political cartoons - September 12, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - Trump's inclinations, undecided voters, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Perfect Couple: glossy Netflix murder-mystery starring Nicole Kidman
The Week Recommends However hard you try to resist it, 'you will want to know the who, what, where and why-dunit'
By The Week UK Published
-
Why more and more people believe in aliens
In The Spotlight Growing numbers say they have seen a UFO – and even US politicians are getting caught up in the trend
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine hits Moscow with large drone attack
Ukraine's strike was the biggest drone attack on the Russian capital to date
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is a government shutdown possible before the election?
Today's Big Question A fight over immigration, spending and the future of House Speaker Mike Johnson
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Russian strike kills at least 51 in Ukraine
Speed Read Two Russian missiles struck a military academy and hospital in the Ukrainian city of Poltava
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'It's not supposed to be this way'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Israel mourns slain hostages, protests Netanyahu
Speed Read Hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to demand a Gaza hostage release
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Fury' as UK suspends some arms sales to Israel
Speed Read Netanyahu condemns Foreign Office's 'shameful' decision to partially restrict weapons exports
By Kaye O'Doherty Published
-
What are the lessons from Ukraine's Russia incursion?
Talking Points And what do they mean for Putin's red lines?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'The federal government's response to the latest surge has been tepid at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published