News/Commentary

Senate moves $40B Ukraine aid bill, 11 Republicans from ‘isolationist Trump-allied wing’ vote no

May 17, 2022 | | Print Article

In an 81 – 11 vote, the Senate advanced the $40 billion Ukrainian aid bill Monday evening, with a final vote expected in the next day or two.

All eleven dissenters were Republicans who are being dubbed the “isolationist Donald Trump-allied wing” for their concerns, which are primarily about fiscal responsibility and misplaced priorities, the Daily Mail reported. The measure passed in the House 368 to 57, with all 57 of the “no” votes coming from Republican lawmakers.

The vote in the Senate came after Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) singlehandedly blocked swift consideration of the measure last week, demanding an inspector general’s report on how the money is being spent.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who made a surprise trip to Ukraine over the weekend with a small group of GOP senators, has been aggressively pursuing the passage of the bill and he effectively shrugged off concerns from the “isolationist voices.”

“There’s always been isolationist voices in the Republican Party,” McConnell said on a conference call with reporters over the weekend from Stockholm, according to the Daily Mail. “It won’t create a problem, we’ll get the job done.”

Somewhat ironically, the vote came on the same day that President Biden approved a plan to redeploy ground troops to Somalia, undoing former President Donald Trump’s efforts to end “forever wars.”

There are a host of problems facing the nation as Americans struggle with record inflation, to include still rising gas prices, supply shortages, key among them being baby formula, and the effects of a wide-open southern border where nearly a quarter-million illegal immigrants are entering the U.S. on a monthly basis.

Paul referenced inflation and the baby formula shortage in a series of tweets explaining his opposition:

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) also took to Twitter to share his reasoning for voting no on the aid package, saying it was “about prioritizing American security and American interests.”

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) told Fox News on Sunday that he was voting against the bill.

“I certainly don’t have anything against the Ukrainians,” Hagerty said. “We want to see them win, but pumping more aid into that country when we’re not taking care of our own country — the best thing that Biden could do is stop the war that he’s waged on American industry.”

Naturally, the left tagged the eleven dissenting senators the “pro-Putin Republicans.”

On the other hand, there were others who praised them for having the proper priorities:

Tom Tillison
Latest posts by Tom Tillison (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles