Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is signaling serious doubts about the ability to move the Senate's combined Ukraine aid and border reform package, which has been in talks for weeks between GOP leadership and the White House but has no concrete text as of now — and a big part of the reason appears to be former President Donald Trump.
"Senate Minority [Leader Mitch McConnell] cast fresh doubt on linking Ukraine aid to a border security bill, acknowledging that the politics have been complicated by former President Donald Trump's campaign," wrote Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman on X Wednesday, noting, "McConnell has been the most staunch advocate for aid to Ukraine and has pushed the Senate to give quick approval to a not-yet-released border bill."
In a follow-up post, Sherman reported that McConnell said, "We're in a quandry."
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The bill in question is currently being negotiated between Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and James Lankford (R-OK).
CNN's Jim Sciutto concurred with this assessment, adding, "Lawmakers have told me repeatedly that House Rs fear that if they support Ukraine aid, Trump will attack them. Remember, going back to his withholding Ukraine aid to force a probe of Biden (that is, Impeachment I), he’s consistently undermined Kyiv against Russia."
Even before this, the bill faced an uncertain future.
It would still have to pass through the Republican-controlled House, where Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has outright said he doesn't want to do anything on border reform until and unless Trump is back in the White House.
