McConnell urges quick action on emergency defense spending package

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday urged his Senate colleagues to move quickly on legislation to send military aid to Israel and Ukraine and to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, warning of “an increasingly coordinated challenge from powerful adversaries.”

McConnell said the Senate would review the $100 billion emergency spending request Biden sent to Congress Friday and craft its own package “in the coming days.”

“Above and beyond the demands of our work on full-year appropriations, a number of serious challenges to the U.S. national security require the Senate’s urgent attention,” McConnell said in a statement.

“The moment demands American leadership, which will require the Senate’s decisive action,” he said. “After reviewing the president’s request, we must produce our own supplemental legislation that meets the demonstrated needs of our national security.”

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He warned that the United States and its allies face rising threats from adversaries who want to destroy Israel, rewrite the map of Europe and put more of Asia under China’s “coercive, authoritarian influence.”

McConnell also cited the huge flows of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico borders, which Republicans say pose a serious national security threat. GOP senators are demanding the Biden administration agree to changes in asylum policy in exchange for new military aid to Ukraine.

“The Senate will work its will to invest in America’s own defense, help Israel defend itself against Iran-backed terrorism, equip Ukraine for victory over Russia, shore up Taiwan on the leading edge of our crucial competition with communist China, and restore sanity to the Southern border,” he said.

The Senate GOP leader will make a rare appearance on “Fox News Sunday” and CBS’s “Face the Nation” this weekend to discuss why the United States must stand firmly with Israel and Congress must address other national security priorities.

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McConnell released his statement after one of his allies, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), declared Biden’s $100 billion national security request as currently drafted “dead on arrival.”

Biden on Friday formally requested $61 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for military aid to Israel and another $14 billion to deal with hundreds of thousands of migrants who have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.

Cotton flagged several elements of Biden’s proposal that will meet stiff opposition from Republicans on Capitol Hill, including $3.5 billion to address the needs of civilians in Gaza and $11.8 million to fund Ukraine’s non-military needs.

He also objected to $4.7 billion requested by the White House to provide transportation, housing and other services to migrants who have come into the country from Mexico.

The Arkansas senator said “Senate Republicans will take the lead on crafting a funding bill that protects Americans and their interests.”

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