Time to Acknowledge Republican Senators for Supporting Ukraine and Defending America

Credit Where It’s Due

The bipartisan effort to send aid to Ukraine cleared a massive hurdle yesterday when the Senate passed the $95.3 billion package, which also includes funds for Israel and Taiwan.

The U.S. Senate approved the bill with a 70–29 vote. Twenty-two Republicans joined the Democrats in supporting the bill, while three members of the Democratic caucus voted no after expressing their concern over Israel’s operations in the Gaza strip.

It is an extremely sad place to be.

To be a Republican lawmaker.

Be it in the house or the senate or even in the state.

When the party’s core idea has been hijacked from the right, when disagreements are openly portrayed as betrayal and discussions are termed as treason, there is not a lot of space to work with. It is akin to a dictatorship, where one must toe the line or face expulsion. The threat to political careers is real; it is a tactic not easily broken away from. Twenty-two Republican senators voted to pass the bill despite the threat from the right. They deserve recognition for demonstrating courage in a time of need.

Mitch McConnell’s speech in the Senate was forceful, though it will likely not gain any ground within the MAGA clan in the American congress. Nonetheless, his words were sharp and genuine.

“I know it’s become quite fashionable in some circles to disregard the global interests we have as a global power. To bemoan the responsibility of global leadership. To lament the commitment that has underpinned the longest drought of great power conflict in human history”.

He ripped into the opponents of the bill by calling their effort as “This is idle work for idle minds. And it has no place in the United States Senate”.

“We haven’t equipped the brave people of Ukraine, Israel, or Taiwan with lethal capabilities in order to win philanthropic accolades. We’re not urgently strengthening defenses in the Indo-Pacific because it feels good. We don’t wield American strength frivolously. We do it because it is in our own interest. We equip our friends to face our shared adversaries so we’re less likely to have to spend American lives to defeat them,” McConnell said.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was on target as well: “I know that shock jocks and online instigators have riled up many in the far reaches of my party but if your position is being cheered by Vladimir Putin, it’s time to reconsider your position,” he said on the floor.

What else is in the bill?

Apart from sending military and economic aid to Ukraine and Israel, the the bills offers $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, the West Bank and Ukraine, $4.8 billion to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific and $2.4 billion to help the U.S. forces defend against Iranian-backed Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

What happens now?

As the Senate has cleared the bill, it will now be sent to the House. Speaker Johnson has signaled that he will not bring it to the floor for a vote.

He criticized the Senate bill Monday night for staying “silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.” He is trying to use the border issue to stop the bill from moving forward.

There are two ways that things can proceed from here.

Speaker Johnson would understandably be concerned about being removed from his post if he brings the bill to the floor, which Donald Trump has openly opposed. The MAGA caucus will attempt to prevent the bill from being voted on. However, there is a way to circumvent this obstacle.

“If proponents can muster enough support from Democrats and mainstream and national security-minded Republicans willing to buck Mr. Trump and the far right, they could steer around the opposition through a maneuver known as a discharge petition. That allows lawmakers to force legislation to the floor if they can gather the signatures of a majority of the House — 218 members — calling for the action”.

The second option is for the Speaker to negotiate with Democrats. He faces pressure from the MAGA group in the American Congress, as they have the ability to call for a vote to oust him as Speaker, similar to what happened to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. However, the MAGA group cannot achieve this alone; they require support from Democrats to remove the Speaker.

The entire Democratic contingent aligned with the far-right members of Congress to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Democrats can assure Speaker Johnson that they will prevent a similar scenario and offer him protection if he brings the Ukraine bill to the floor.

For both approaches, the key to success lies in securing the support of a few Republican members of Congress to back the bill and vote alongside the Democrats.

There are ample Republican members in Congress to ensure the bill’s passage. However, achieving this will require significant diplomatic efforts from the Democrats.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, R-Ohio, is one of them. He recently came back from a trip to Ukraine and said that “I reiterated America’s commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia.” There are centrist Republicans who prioritize what is best for America over what is best for Donald Trump.

Why Putin so badly wants the US bill to not pass?

The US support for Ukraine is central to Vladimir Putin’s recent actions. The attack on Avdiivka is not strategically significant; ISW categorized it as part of information operations. I concur, as the capture of this small village does not advance Russian strategic interests. However, a victory there would enable Putin to portray an image of persistence and potential victory in the war. This could be used as a tool by the MAGA troopers in the US Congress to argue against providing aid, claiming it to be support for an unwinnable war.

Putin’s decision to deploy significant military forces to Avdiivka aimed to elicit responses like the following. This comment is from Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who appears to be adopting a markedly pro-Kremlin stance:

A lot of the points that Vladimir Putin made are accurate. They’re obvious, and so many of our people here in Washington D.C. are just ignoring that, making people believe like Ukraine can win. Putin won’t lose. Putin will not lose. He’s not going to lose.

Our policy should be focused on how do we bring Vladimir Putin to the table.

Putin conveyed the same set of messages in his interview with Tucker Carlson. Ready to negotiate. I will not lose.

Neither Ukraine nor Europe requires American financial assistance. Europe can manage the monetary aspect independently. However, what they currently cannot fulfill is the provision of the weapons that Ukraine urgently requires on the battlefield. Without American aid, the supply of air-defense missiles will quickly dwindle. Already, we’re observing the consequences of the shortage of artillery shells in Ukraine. If Ukraine faces a shortage of air-defense missiles, Russia could potentially dismantle the costly air-defense systems that are currently keeping the Russian air force subdued.

Putin aims to hinder the United States from aiding Ukraine. A faction comprising a few Republican Senators, Donald Trump, certain Republican House members, and one billionaire is tirelessly working to deliver Vladimir Putin a victory by obstructing U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

The Democratic Party needs to grasp the significance of this moment. It’s crucial that they recognize the efforts made by seasoned GOP senators in the Senate, who have likely gone above and beyond in their actions.

They did their job.

Now is the time to do yours.

Either negotiate a deal with Speaker Johnson to safeguard his position or initiate a discharge petition to advance and pass the bill.

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