Good Grief: McConnell Claims Sending Ukraine Assistance Is ‘Number One Priority’ For Most Republicans

If you were hoping for Republicans in the Senate to focus on stopping the invasion at the southern border or spending its time exposing deep-state corruption, it would appear that you are out of luck.

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) claimed that the GOP’s top objective is to provide Ukraine with more assistance — on top of the tens of billions the U.S. has already sent.

“Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians — that’s the number one priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans. That’s how we see the challenges confronting the country at the moment.”

McConnell: “Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans. That’s how we see the challenges confronting the country at the moment.” pic.twitter.com/NPmzWRzoz1

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 20, 2022

McConnell: "Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans. That's how we see the challenges confronting the country at the moment." pic.twitter.com/NPmzWRzoz1

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 20, 2022

Many in The Daily Wire audience may be reading this article in between calculating Christmas soaring expenses due to inflation or making sure that their kids’ holiday pageant isn’t filled with drag queens and other perversities. For those concerned parents, McConnell’s comment may have come as a surprise.

To that extent, his remarks make a lot more sense when you consider he is likely only talking about Republicans in Washington, D.C., and not anywhere else.

In fact, since May, McConnell has stated that his Republican Party — he is the Senate leader of it after all — is focused squarely on the people of Ukraine.

“I think we all agree the most important thing going on in the world right now is the war in Ukraine,” McConnell told reporters in early May.

He even boasted about his efficiency working with President Joe Biden on the matter.

“I had a chance to call the president last week and request that the Ukraine package move by itself and quickly,” he added. “He said, let me think it over. He called back in about 15 minutes and agreed that we need to do this for Ukraine only, and quickly.”

Polling at the time indicated that helping Ukraine was not “the most important thing going on in the world.” Inflation, illegal immigration, and the economy routinely ranked among the most important issues throughout the summer into the midterm elections.

McConnell and other GOP leaders opted to focus on others things — instead of presenting solutions to those problems.

The American people had nothing to vote for — except a GOP leader pledging to go to bat with Biden for a nation that most people can’t identify on a map.

Indeed, a recent survey from Navigator Research found that amongst “straight Republican” voters in the 2022 midterms, a measly 14% of them said “National security and foreign policy, including Ukraine” was amongst their “most important issues” deciding their vote in Congress. On the other hand, 64% of those voters included inflation, 45% said border security, 40% said jobs and the economy, and 35% noted crime as their top concern.

In other words, “most Republicans” do not agree with McConnell. Instead, they are probably wondering when America is going to have a viable opposition party to the Democrats.

For now, it looks like that only exists in the House of Representatives.

After 21 Senate Republicans voted to advance the nearly $1.7 trillion, 4,155-page spending bill — which includes $45 billion in Ukraine aid — Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) blasted his colleagues in the upper house. He also provided a translation of what the vote means

Roy claimed that the message is that “defense spending — for us & Ukraine — trumps Americans’ concerns about mounting debt, out-of-control bureaucrats, and wide open borders.”

“It means ‘we’re the adults in the room, so sit down while we continue the status quo & cut big $ deals with Democrats rather than even sit down with a new GOP majority & work it out among Republicans,’” he added.

That translation is appreciated — though it might be better said in the Ukrainian language if Roy wants McConnell to understand it.

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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