OAN’s Elizabeth Volberding
2:23 PM – Monday, February 12, 2024
The Senate’s leaders are strongly arguing that funding is essential to retaliating against Russian President Vladimir Putin and preserving America’s international standing, even as an increasing number of Republicans are opposing American aid to Ukraine.
During a rare weekend gathering in the United States Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), delivered severe cautions regarding the repercussions of forsaking longtime American allies in Europe.
“Today it’s no exaggeration to say that the eyes of the world are on the United States Senate,” McConnell said. “Our allies and partners are hoping that the indispensable nation, the leader of the free world, has the resolve to continue.”
A test vote on the $95.3 billion aid package for Israel, Ukraine, and several other nations were scheduled for Sunday.
In the meantime, former President Donald Trump, who is currently leading the Republican presidential field, is attempting to stop the assistance and has intensified his attacks on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance.
During a South Carolina campaign rally on Saturday, Trump declared that NATO members who fail to meet their defense spending targets should be subject to “whatever the hell they want” from Russia. He related a previous story he had told about a NATO member who confronted him after he threatened not to assist them.
Despite the fact that McConnell has made Ukraine a top priority, a growing number of members of his Republican conference are now siding with Trump and rejecting the aid that Senate leaders have been attempting to pass for months.
In his opening statement on Sunday, McConnell stated that “American leadership matters, and it is in question,” without specifically mentioning Trump.
If the United States does not help Ukraine, Schumer claimed that “Putin is all too likely to succeed.”
“The only right answer to this threat is for the Senate to face it down unflinchingly by passing this bill as soon as we can,” Schumer mentioned ahead of the vote.
Multiple procedural votes on the reduced package are being pushed through by the Senate after an attempt to combine it with legislation to delay migration at the border with the United States failed.
Republicans who have been consistently against the aid have objected, delaying quick action and necessitating the weekend votes while discussions over possible changes to the legislation continue.
While Schumer has stated that he is open to amendments, the majority of which most likely will be rejected, he has compelled senators to meet through the weekend in an attempt to expedite the process.
In a crucial vote last week, McConnell and other Republican supporters of the aid received hope when 17 senators agreed to begin a debate on the bill and 31 voted against it.
Even if the package is approved by the Senate, its future in the House is extremely doubtful because the majority of Republican lawmakers there are close allies of Trump.
The package would give $60 billion to Ukraine in the midst of military shortages, mainly for the purchase of American-made defense systems and ammunition, which the country needs as Russia continues to attack it.
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