Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
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Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stopped short of offering a blank check to Ukraine, but Friday he indicated Republicans would outstrip Democrats in supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
“It is in America’s core national security interest to make it clear that revisionist states such as Russia or China cannot simply gobble up smaller neighbors,” McConnell said in a statement. “The Biden Administration and our allies need to do more to supply the tools Ukraine needs to thwart Russian aggression. It is obvious this must include additional air defenses, long-range fires, and humanitarian and economic support to help this war-torn country endure the coming winter.”
McConnell’s remarks come in the wake of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy grabbing headlines by saying he’d oppose offering a “blank check” to Ukraine.
Democrats Must Stop Fighting American Energy and Start Aiding Ukraine Faster https://t.co/k7IKdVVTQ1@LeaderMcConnell: “Neither American families’ pocketbooks nor our national security can afford Democrats’ Green New Deal follies or their war against our own energy.”
— Senator McConnell's Press Office (@McConnellPress) October 21, 2022
FISM has already offered an analysis of the extent to which McConnell and McCarthy might differ on Ukraine allocations should both assume leadership roles in Republican-controlled chambers.
It’s important to note that McCarthy and McConnell are not necessarily at odds over Ukraine, at least not in the terms we view political figures engaging in a rivalry,
McCarthy has never threatened to end funding, although he has argued Americans have finite patience when it comes to routine and massive payments.
Similarly, McConnell did not advocate for unadulterated spending, although he certainly painted the picture of a Republican-led Senate that would be quick to use America’s industrial might to boost Ukraine’s chances against Russia.
“A Republican majority in the Senate will focus its oversight on ensuring timely delivery of needed weapons and greater allied assistance to Ukraine,” McConnell said, “rebuilding and modernizing our military capabilities, standing up to terrorist states like Iran, and shoring up our defenses in Asia to deter Chinese aggression.”
While it would be easy to point to a potential rift between McConnell and McCarthy, the senator’s most strident remarks were reserved for a common target and a topic on which virtually all Republicans agree.
“[Russian president Vladminir]Putin uses energy as another weapon for bending sovereign countries to his will,” McConnell said. “It is unacceptable that President [Joe] Biden is draining our Strategic Petroleum Reserve simply to boost Democrats’ low approval ratings before an election. Draining the Reserve to the lowest point in decades and strangling our own domestic energy production capacity will make America more vulnerable to disruptions and manipulation of global energy markets. Democrats are risking national security to try to cover up their own failed energy policies.
“Neither American families’ pocketbooks nor our national security can afford Democrats’ Green New Deal follies or their war against our own energy.”
Although McCarthy did not respond specifically to McConnell’s statement, on Friday the California congressman twice took to Twitter to criticize the Biden administration’s energy policy.
“America has the God-given natural resources to power the world—but President Biden insists on shackling American industry and American workers to keep us dependent on foreign adversaries for our energy needs,” McCarthy wrote in one tweet. “He’s not putting America first. He’s putting America last.”