{"id":2228822,"date":"2024-04-24T05:34:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T09:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-deals-setback-to-isolationist-republicans-on-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2024-04-24T05:38:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T09:38:38","slug":"mcconnell-deals-setback-to-isolationist-republicans-on-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mcconnell-deals-setback-to-isolationist-republicans-on-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"McConnell challenges &#8216;isolationist&#8217; Republicans on Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmcconnell-deals-setback-to-isolationist-republicans-on-ukraine%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2228822&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell led a\u200b significant push for additional funding for Ukraine, securing 31 GOP votes, a notable increase from\u200b past support. This \u200cmarks a pivotal moment in Senate dynamics, showcasing a shift \u200cin\u200d the\u200b party&#8217;s stance on foreign aid. Despite personal implications, McConnell stressed the importance \u2062of\u2062 the legislation for the nation and global \u200cstability. The \u2062journey to pass the aid involved strategic maneuvering \u2062and negotiations, reflecting McConnell&#8217;s career-long patience and\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">political acumen<\/a>. The complexity of the process, including overcoming internal divisions\u200d and external pressures, highlights the intricate dynamics within the Republican \u200bParty and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-casey-says-terminology-used-in-abortion-debate-antiquated-post-dobbs\/\" title=\"Bob Casey deems abortion debate terminology 'outdated' after Dobbs case.\">broader political landscape<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mitch-mcconnell\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Mitch McConnell<\/a> (R-KY) delivered an unmistakable rebuke of the Republicans opposed to further funding for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/war-in-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Ukraine<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>He brought along 31 GOP votes for the legislation, nine more than voted for an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2852838\/senate-passes-ukraine-aid-marathon-filibuster-conservatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-dem-controlled-house-approves-1-9-trillion-stimulus-biden-plans-to-sign-friday\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Dem-Controlled House Approves .9 Trillion Stimulus; Biden Plans To Sign Friday\">earlier version<\/a> of the legislation<\/a> in February and, most significantly, a majority of his conference in the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>He denies that the victory, which seemed very much in doubt just two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-short-history-of-how-anthony-fauci-has-kept-failing-up-since-1984\/\" title=\"A Short History Of How Anthony Fauci Has Kept Failing Up Since 1984\">months earlier<\/a>, has personal significance. He is stepping down as Republican leader at the end of the year and as one of his final acts resolved to get the foreign aid, which also includes money for Israel and Taiwan, through Congress.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not about me. This is about our country and the free world,\u201d he told reporters at a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>But McConnell in no uncertain terms framed the vote as an inflection point in a raging battle between two wings of the party: the Republicans carrying the traditional mantle of \u201cpeace through strength\u201d and those who view foreign intervention with deep skepticism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019ve turned the corner on the isolationist movement,\u201d he declared, at another point adding, \u201cI won\u2019t say it\u2019s gone away, but we certainly prevailed.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) praises support for Ukraine as the Senate is on track to pass $95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (AP Photo\/J. Scott Applewhite)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was a long road for McConnell to get the aid passed. He pursued and then was forced to abandon a border deal seen as the key to unlocking support in the Republican-led House, and it took months of cajoling Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who gave the $95 billion package a floor vote after repeated intelligence briefings and two sit-downs at the White House.<\/p>\n<p>Donald Trump proved to be the biggest roadblock. He helped tank the border deal, viewing it as a political victory for his 2024 rival, President Joe Biden, in an election year. But the former president ultimately relented, acquiescing to a border-free bill so long as its $9 billion in economic assistance was restructured as a \u201cforgivable loan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The compromise reflected Trump\u2019s continued sway over the GOP as he mounts a third run for president. He shaped the opposition, infused with his brand of \u201cAmerica First\u201d populism, but left a path for McConnell, one of his biggest Republican antagonists, to succeed.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell endorsed Trump for president but only after he locked up the GOP nomination.<\/p>\n<p>It also reflects a feature of the Senate leader\u2019s decadeslong career in the Senate: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-signals-openness-to-diplomacy-with-n-korea-after-policy-review\/\" title=\"White House signals openness to diplomacy with N. Korea after policy review\">strategic patience<\/a>. McConnell cobbled together the votes needed for the foreign aid to pass, outlasting the heated passions of the Republican House.<\/p>\n<p>In the hours before the vote on foreign aid, Senate Republican offices received a memo rebutting the claims made by Ukraine critics. <\/p>\n<p>There could be consequences for Johnson. He faces the threat of his ouster from hard-line Republicans livid over the Ukraine vote. But the pleas from McConnell and every other party leader, made in public and private, proved persuasive enough to change his mind. <\/p>\n<p>Before becoming speaker in October, Johnson had been a Ukraine skeptic.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who since arriving in the Senate last year has become the most outspoken opponent of Ukraine aid, has his eye on the long game as well. About a third of Senate Republicans voted against the aid on Tuesday, and he has campaigned for candidates including Bernie Moreno in Ohio who would espouse similar views.<\/p>\n<p>He sees a future in which the Republican majority does not get into conflicts without a \u201cstrategic vision\u201d for how to get out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we have to slowly win the argument for a more rational foreign policy with our colleagues, and it\u2019s going to take a long time,\u201d Vance told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>McConnell declined to address Vance\u2019s critiques of the Ukraine package, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/12\/opinion\/jd-vance-ukraine.html\">laid out<\/a> in a <em>New York Times<\/em> op-ed earlier this month. But he conceded he was fighting a battle that extended far beyond the halls of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>At his press conference, McConnell <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/2976575\/mcconnell-celebrates-ukraine-aid-test-vote-blames-tucker-carlson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"blamed political pundits\">blamed political pundits<\/a> including Tucker Carlson for souring public sentiment on Ukraine. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans think the United States is doing \u201ctoo much\u201d to help the country with its war against Russia, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/643601\/americans-say-not-helping-ukraine-enough.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>according to<\/a> the latest Gallup poll.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMitch might be able to twist a few arms here to change a few votes. But look, the majority of the Republican voting population doesn\u2019t want us to write unlimited blank checks to Ukraine,\u201d said Vance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think we fundamentally won the argument amongst the country,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>That battle will continue to play out over the coming years. Trump, who wants to see European allies contribute more toward their own defense, could set the terms for debate if he becomes president, while McConnell, through his affiliated leadership PACs, is ironically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2916641\/mcconnells-mutiny-gop-leader-helped-elect-most-vocal-critics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>helping elect<\/a> what may be a fresh wave of Republican senators aligned with the former president.<\/p>\n<p>But McConnell, who has delivered repeated floor speeches insisting that foreign engagement is in America\u2019s national interest, has simultaneously panned the \u201cAmerica First\u201d movement as a passing fad and has vowed to oppose it for as long as he is serving in the Senate. The 82-year-old senator says he intends to complete the remainder of his term as a rank-and-file member through 2026.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strongly criticized Republicans opposing additional Ukraine funding, rallying 31 GOP votes\u2014surpassing the previous 22 votes. Noteworthy, this marked a majority support from his Senate conference<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2651,"featured_media":2228823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24114715495187-1-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24114715495187-1-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2651"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2228823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}