Eleven Republican senators defied her lead and on Monday voted against a motion proposing a $40 billion security aid package for Ukraine, a sign of the GOP’s growing opposition to US efforts aimed at ending the to counteract the bloody three-month-old invasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The safety package is not expected to pass until later this week as a single Republican senator, Rand Paul of Kentucky, objects to a quick vote on the measure.
Paul has called for legislation to give an inspector general the power to oversee spending, which he called unprecedented and fiscally unsound. But Democrats said it would require another vote in the House of Representatives and would waste valuable time amid Russia’s daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities, causing horrifying scenes of death and devastation.
In his speech Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) criticized Paul’s efforts to delay passage of the bill as “completely unacceptable,” saying it “only serves to loosen Putin’s hand in the long run.” to strengthen”.
Oleksandra Ustinova, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, lamented that the delay would cost lives in a message posted to Twitter:
Ten other Republican senators joined Paul in voting Monday against the motion to move forward with the security package; Many of these senators made statements of support of Ukraine’s plight following the Russian invasion:
Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee)
John Boozman (Ark)
Mike Brown (Ind.)
Mike Crapo (Idaho)
Bill Hagerty (Tennessee)
Josh Hawley (Mon.)
Mike Lee (Utah)
Roger Marshall (Can.)
Tommy Tuberville (Ala.)
The list of lawmakers blocking aid to Ukraine has grown steadily over the past month. Last week, 57 Republicans in the House of Representatives voted against the Ukraine Aid Bill. Two months ago, just three members of the GOP House of Representatives voted against a separate security package.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump and right-wing pundits including Fox News host Tucker Carlson have ramped up rhetoric against US support for Ukraine aid. Trump also questioned the spending measure last week, linking it to baby formula shortages, which were blamed on a safety recall and supply chain problems.
The story goes on
“Democrats are sending another $40 billion to Ukraine, but America’s parents are struggling to even feed their children,” Trump said in a statement released by his super PAC.
Sen. Josh Hawley (Mon.) argued that spending $40 billion on Ukraine is “not in America’s interest,” adding on Twitter that it “allows Europe to smuggle domestic priorities (at the border), Europe smuggle critical interests abroad to shorten and of no importance is supervision.”
But Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), a deficit hawk and like Hawley a potential presidential nominee for 2024, voted in favor of the bill. The top Trump ally called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “a threat to our national security and the security of our democratic allies.” He added, “America must always protect our interests and support democracy over tyranny.”
Monday’s vote to move forward with the Ukraine package followed a trip to Kyiv by Republican Senate leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.). After meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky, McConnell told reporters he had reassured him “that support for Ukraine and this war against Russia is bipartisan,” including “an overwhelming majority of Republicans.”
McConnell also addressed opposition to Ukraine aid from his party’s Trump wing in a statement released after the trip.
“Ukraine is not asking anyone to fight their battle,” he said. “They only ask for the tools they need for self-defense.”
“America’s support for Ukraine’s self-defense is not just philanthropy,” he added. “Defending the principle of sovereignty, promoting stability in Europe, and inflicting costs on Russia’s naked aggression have a direct and critical impact on national security and vital American interests.”
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.