Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing opposition from conservative members of the Senate over his opposition to House Republicans’ emergency aid bill for Israel.
GOP senators believe that McConnell’s opposition is undermining newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson and aligning more closely with the Democrats’ preferences for a broader Israel-Ukraine aid package.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin criticized McConnell’s actions, stating that Republicans in the Senate should be supporting the new speaker, not undermining him.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming emphasized the importance of supporting the House effort in selecting a new speaker and urged for both emergency aid for Israel and Ukraine to be addressed.
President Biden has requested $106 billion for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and the U.S. border, which McConnell agrees should be addressed in a comprehensive aid package. However, House Republicans want to handle each issue separately with single-subject bills, setting up a clash between Johnson, McConnell, and Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer called the Israel proposal insulting and dead on arrival.
McConnell defended his decision to diverge from House Republicans, stating that he views all of these problems as connected and believes that all four areas should be addressed in a credible way.
Sen. Rand Paul criticized McConnell, suggesting that he is out of touch with the GOP base and is siding with Democrats instead of supporting Johnson.
McConnell’s top deputies also pushed back against the House speaker’s approach, emphasizing the need for stricter immigration policies in any bipartisan deal.
McConnell’s lieutenants stated that there is significant support among Senate Republicans for bundling the aid, and Senate Democrats only need nine GOP votes to pass the bill.