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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell speaks during a press conference following the Republicans weekly policy luncheon on January 23, 2024, in Washington, DC.
CNN
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Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell outlined the increasing obstacles to a national security package amidst deep divisions in the GOP over immigration and Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to oppose a bipartisan compromise on new border security legislation which further complicates the situation.
According to a GOP source familiar with the matter, McConnell told Republicans in a private Wednesday meeting that they are in a “quandary,” due to the ongoing intraparty feuding caused by bipartisan talks over immigration. This has possibly closed off a route to getting a comprehensive package approved in this Congress.
The growing uncertainties from the Senate GOP leader, who is a strong advocate for more aid to Ukraine, indicate that Congress may need to delay a decision on the issues or split the package into separate parts, although no final decisions have been made. McConnell’s objective in the meeting was to convey to his colleagues that there was no clear way forward unless members were willing to make concessions.
This latest uncertainty emerges as House Republicans, encouraged by Trump, are rebelling against the bipartisan discussions on immigration before they even conclude. The Republicans were already divided on whether to approve any aid to Ukraine, insisting that border issues must be addressed first. Additionally, the House Republican demand to pass their border security bill – HR 2 – is a non-starter with Democrats.
The candid assessment, initially reported by Punchbowl News, highlights the growing concerns that Congress may fail to approve aid to Ukraine at a critical juncture in its conflict with Russia, or to pass any legislation addressing the influx of migrants at the southern border.
During the meeting, McConnell quoted a statement from Trump in 2018 that cast doubt on Democrats ever supporting border security. This served as a message to his GOP colleagues that this may present the best opportunity for Republicans to achieve border security in decades.
“He did a good job of quoting Donald Trump saying in 2018 that we will never get a Democrat to vote for this [border] stuff,” Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said.
Senate Republicans engaged in a lengthy debate behind closed doors about the future of US aid to Ukraine, but the GOP emerged still divided over the best path forward as lawmakers remain stuck over how to get a bill to aid Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the US border across the finish line.
“We had a thorough airing of views,” Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said.
Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said at this point, he believes he has a good sense of where everyone in the conference stands, but there was no definitive resolution.
“It was one of the most thoughtful discussions, sincere emotional discussions, we’ve had. I think that we will have a conference too divided on Ukraine, but we’re united in securing the border,” Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, said.
GOP members emerging said it was less about finding a unified position (there is none) and more about giving members an opportunity to state their case and engage in a debate. Members also stated that McConnell played the role of “historian in the room,” reminding the conference of their past and the current opportunity regarding the border.
“He is attentive and he understands the historical lay of the land and it is very instructive when he does those things, when he reminds us of other opportunities lost, how far James Lankford has brought us further than we have ever been in 30 years,” Cramer said.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who supports more aid, emphasized the consequences of not taking action to his colleagues.
“This won’t take decades to regret. This will be in a matter of years and so people who chose to ultimately to exit Ukraine if they are successful – for as long as I am breathing – I will remind them of the consequences I am convinced we will have to live with,” Tillis said.
Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah who supports the US aiding the war effort in Ukraine, mentioned that Sens. Jerry Moran, Jim Risch, and Susan Collins made impassioned appeals in support of the effort.
Cramer told reporters that Risch, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, played a clip of the late Sen. John McCain speaking about Russian President Vladimir Putin after the invasion of Crimea.
But it’s a delicate balancing act for many in the GOP conference.
“We have to figure out a way to sustain this fight without depleting our capabilities around the world. I don’t think that strategy should be whatever it costs for however long it takes. That’s neither realistic nor wise but it also can’t be we are walking away when we are done because we’ll pay a price for that too,” Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said.
When asked if the meeting was tense, Rubio brushed it off, saying, “Compared to what?” Reminded that Tuesday’s lunch was lively, Rubio joked: “That’s not tense. Just because they don’t let us bring knives and forks anymore.”
Rubio reminded reporters that it was a joke.
CNN’s Sam Fossum contributed to this report.
