Among the elements of a $1.7 trillion spending bill passed by the Senate this week is an additional $45 billion worth of additional aid to Ukraine.

That's fits with a claim from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that supporting Ukraine is the GOP's "number one priority." However, other Republicans want to know why he isn't more focused on supporting Americans.  

Poll shows Ukraine isn't a top concern for GOP voters

McConnell made the remarks on Tuesday during a Capitol Hill press conference as he touted the spending bill to reporters.

MCCONNELL: "Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans.” pic.twitter.com/llf9MNOWEg

— Ivan Seledkin (@04nnov) December 20, 2022

"Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now according to most Republicans," declared.

"That’s sort of how we see the challenges confronting the country at the moment," the longtime Kentucky lawmaker went on to insist. However, McConnell's comments appear to be at odds with the results of a poll that Morning Consult released last month.

The survey, which was carried out from October 27 to October 28, found that registered Republican voters listed immigration, terrorism, and drug trafficking as their top three foreign policy issues. Meanwhile, Russia's invasion of Ukraine came in tenth place.

Arizona lawmaker wants to focus on "real problems within our own borders"

Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar was among those expressing frustration over what McConnell had to say, and he pushed back in a series of tweets.

The Republican congressman decried sending "another $45 billion of hardworking American taxpayer dollars to fund a proxy war in Ukraine," adding, "America has 99 problems but the Ukraine ain’t one."

Gosar then went on to list some of those problems, including inflation, a chaotic border, the opioid epidemic, and weaponization of federal law enforcement.

"Congress should be looking at ways to solve the very real problems within our own borders. For these reasons, I will be voting against this bill when it is considered on the House floor later this week," Gosar declared.

He also condemned McConnell's priorities for being "insult to the American people that Mitch McConnell fails to represent," calling them "the epitome of America Last."

"In all my travels across Arizona, not one of my constituents said that defending Ukraine should be our top priority. Not one," Gosar said.

Gosar's criticism was not not unique, as Wisconsin Republican Rep. Warren Davidson put out a tweet which contrasted support for Ukraine with the amount of money provided for border security.