C-SPAN: Senate Minority Leader McConnell On Aid For Ukraine & Israel

Source:C-SPAN- U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Republican, Kentucky)

"Senate Minority Leader McConnell explains why he's pushing for aid for Israel and Ukraine as members of his own party criticize him for it: "My own view is that we need a to treat all four of these areas: Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and the border."

From C-SPAN

It's rare that you see snowstorms in Miami, Florida, hurricanes in Las Vegas, Nevada, sunny days in Seattle, Washington. But it's also rare that you see me agree with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose been the Senate Republican Leader since 2007, after Democrats won Congress back in 2006 and the highest ranking Republican, not just in Congress, but in the entire U.S. Government, twice in the last 16 years. So it's not like Leader McConnell and I haven't had any opportunities to even agree on what the whether is like outside, let alone what's going on in Washington.

But to make a long story shorter: I completely agree with Leader McConnell on the need for a broader foreign aid package. And I believe Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is on board here as well. So their foreign aid package that would include Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and our southern border, will pass overwhelmingly in the Senate, whether the Republican House manages to pass anything, let alone their own bill, is another story. 

It will be an uphill battle for House Republicans to pass their own bill (to say the least) since House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, will probably lock in all his members against an Israel only aid bill, that might also include funding for the southern border. And new Speaker Mike Johnson could lose 10, perhaps 20 House Republicans, who are up for reelection next year in Democratic leaning districts. 

If Democrats, not just in the Senate, but President Biden, House Democrats, as well as Senate Republicans, agree to an Israel only aid bill and perhaps aid to the southern border, the House won't come back with an Ukraine and Taiwan aid bills. Those bills would be dead because you have a Pro-Putin wing in the House Republican Conference, that's also pro-Netanyahu, and probably wouldn't mind seeing the so-called People's Republic of China, unilaterally invade and occupy Taiwan. 

But the Senate passes their broader package and it passes overwhelmingly, it would pass the House as well, if brought to the floor, with most Democrats voting for it, as well as a lot of Republicans. Which might be why new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson doesn't want a broader package, because he has a Putin wing in his own conference and that bill would pass easily. 

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