Meanwhile, GOP senators who support fully funding Biden’s Ukraine request increasingly find their voices drowned out in what has largely been a closed-door debate about foreign aid. “We can’t have people starving, or they won’t be able to maintain their operations,” Senator Mitt Romney, a retiring Utah Republican and former GOP nominee for president, said on Wednesday morning when asked about funding the Ukrainian social safety net.
Across the political aisle, Senate Democrats have been in lockstep behind Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in support of fully funding Ukraine. “You can’t fight a war if you’re not able to feed the families of the soldiers and educate their kids back home,” said Connecticut’s Chris Murphy, adding: “So there’s no way to support Ukraine without helping the country’s economy and social service infrastructure stay afloat.”
For his part, McConnell knows the world is watching. An aide to the minority leader tells The New Republic that the 81-year-old sees funding Ukraine’s fight against Putin, America’s geopolitical nemesis, as a legacy item. What remains unclear is whether McConnell can deliver the votes needed from his own Republican senators around what he has clearly stated for months to be his top priority in the Senate. McConnell has been known throughout his career for his iron grip on his caucus. We’ll find out soon whether he still has it.