Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) had yet another failed attempt to regain any semblance of relevancy. On Saturday, she took a break from ranting and raving about the Orange Man What Is Bad™ to take a swing at Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) over the issue of foreign aid to Ukraine and other countries.
But Lee wasn’t having it.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lee spoke out against the latest Ukraine aid bill, pointing out that if cloture were passed, it would be with the help of Republicans, which would not be popular among members of the conservative base.
If just 41 Senate Republicans oppose cloture on the Ukraine aid bill tomorrow, they can stop it from passing.
Democrats can’t pass this thing on their own.
Republicans have to help them do it.
If just 41 Senate Republicans oppose cloture on the Ukraine aid bill tomorrow, they can stop it from passing.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 10, 2024
Democrats can’t pass this thing on their own.
Republicans have to help them do it.
Cheney responded with one of the most favored pro-interventionist tropes: If you oppose aid to Ukraine, it means you support Putin’s Russia.
@BasedMikeLee is hard at work trying to lose the war in Ukraine and Make Russia Great Again.
.@BasedMikeLee is hard at work trying to lose the war in Ukraine and Make Russia Great Again. https://t.co/5FaMeG3Uk2
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) February 10, 2024
Unfortunately for Cheney, Lee’s response showed that she was doing the social media version of bringing a knife to a gunfight, highlighting the real reason why folks like Cheney support funding Ukraine.
Ah, so you’re suggesting no one could have any objection to the Ukraine aid bill that doesn’t involve trying to help Russia.
How clever.
How original.
Is that really all the Military Industrial Complex™️ can come up with?
Ah, so you’re suggesting no one could have any objection to the Ukraine aid bill that doesn’t involve trying to help Russia.
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) February 11, 2024
How clever.
How original.
Is that really all the Military Industrial Complex™️ can come up with? https://t.co/6GbDHen1Cg
RedState’s streiff on Friday reported that the Senate voted for cloture on a bill providing military assistance to Ukraine and other nations.
The Senate voted for cloture on a $95 billion military assistance bill supporting Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and continued US military operations in the Red Sea. The 67-32 vote sets up a final vote by Wednesday, sending the bill to the House. This vote cleared the 60-vote filibuster threshold on the strength of 17 Republican votes.
This bill includes $60 million for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel, among other expenses. It was originally attached to the disastrous "border security" bill that cratered on Monday.
Republicans voting for cloture were Murkowski (AK), Sullivan (AK), Ernst (IA), Grassley (IA), Young (IN), McConnell (KY), Cassidy (LA), Kennedy (LA), Collins (ME), Wicker (MS), Tillis (NC), Rounds (SD), Thune (SD), Cornyn (TX), Romney (UT), and Capito (WV).
Next week's vote will require another cloture vote, which is almost a given. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised to open the bill to amendment. That will give some senators the opportunity to object to parts of the bill and rant about the absence of any border security measures.
The situation between Ukraine and Russia is a multifaceted, nuanced issue—but it is not one that should involve the United States. One can be in favor of Ukraine’s independence without pushing for America to intervene financially or militarily.
Folks like Cheney have never seen a war they didn’t believe the U.S. should involve itself in, which is why she responded to Lee in this fashion. The question is: How many billions of dollars will we have sent to foreign nations before the American public says “enough?”
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