Eighteen Senate Republicans are working with Democrats to push for Senate approval of military aid to Ukraine, defying the majority of their party and former President Donald J. Trump, making it the first in the modern Republican Party. It highlights the widening divide in foreign policy.
The 18 senators, mostly national security hardliners, including several military veterans, cast the votes needed to overcome multiple filibusters supported by a majority of their colleagues against Ukraine, Israel, and Ukraine's allies. It cleared the way for $95 billion in aid to be approved within days. Pacific region.
“The thread that unites this group is national security,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas, one of the 18. What happens in Israel matters, and so does our belief in what happens in the South Pacific. ”
Supporting the funding could draw criticism from Mr. Trump and his allies, a possibility that likely played a factor in some decisions against the funding.
Some Republicans who have balked at the bill have signaled they may end up supporting it through passage after trying to use opposition to win a chance to change it. No success so far. However, it remains questionable whether more than half of the 49 Republican senators will vote in favor of the bill.
Let's take a closer look at past defectors and their motivations.
All but two of the Senate's Republican leaders
The group includes the top two Senate Republicans, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Thune of South Dakota, as well as two others on the leadership team, Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and West Virginia. They include state Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.
Two other leaders, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, both support Mr. Trump but oppose him.
The sharp division over funding within the upper echelons of the Senate Republican Conference is a sharp contrast to the party, which for much of the post-World War II period had been a strong proponent of projecting U.S. power overseas and supporting U.S. allies. reflects the sharp division of But there is strong sentiment among Republicans, encouraged by Mr. Trump, to retreat from foreign involvement.
Mr. McConnell has been one of the most vocal advocates for sending aid to Ukraine. He has called Kiev's war against Russian aggression an existential issue and has argued increasingly fervently in recent days that the United States must not abandon its democratic allies standing up to President Vladimir V. Putin.
Sen. Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, who has led efforts to delay the military aid package, said Monday that the idea that strengthening Ukraine is essential to U.S. national security is “ridiculous.”
“I think sending money to Ukraine actually further endangers national security,” Paul said. “The leadership has come together, but it's the wrong kind of compromise. Looting the Treasury is a compromise. They're raking in borrowed cash.”
Other senators who voted for the funding include Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, a former top Republican who is interested in returning to leadership, and Sen. John Cornyn of Iowa, the longest-serving Senate Republican. This includes Senator Charles E. Grassley.
National Security Leaders and Veterans
Several members of the Armed Services Committee support moving forward with the bill, including Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the committee's ranking Republican. Other members of the committee who voted in favor of advancing military aid were Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Ms. Ernst, Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. be.
Ernst served overseas in the Iowa National Guard, and Sullivan is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. A third Republican veteran who is a strong supporter of aid, Indiana Sen. Todd Young, is a former Marine.
Democrats praised the 18 Republicans who took part in the Ukraine effort.
“I think they understand the need to help Ukraine, especially since this is a contest between the rules-based international order and Russian tyranny,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island. said the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee. “They also understand that military personnel may soon be involved.”
Mainstream Republicans and Embezzlers
Members of the Appropriations Committee, including two moderate-leaning senators, Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), the top Republicans on the committee, have also been instrumental in pushing for aid. Other appropriators supporting the bill include Mr. Moran, Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, and Mr. Capito.
The bill has the support of a handful of senators known for breaking with their parties and favoring bipartisan compromise, including Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. and Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
“I think there's a common understanding that if we fail this vote and don't support Ukraine — and this is not a rant or an exaggeration — bad things are going to happen,” Tillis said Monday. .
Republican supporters of the bill have argued that given the urgency behind the imperative to rein in Russia and avoid broader wars in Europe and Asia, the potential impact on Mr. Trump and the election could be significant. He says you can't worry about it.
“The stakes are high and we have to seize the moment,” Collins said.
As for a possible backlash, Tillis said he's not worried.
“I slept like a baby last night,” he said, referring to Sunday's vote by a majority of his Republican colleagues to overcome the filibuster.
