Republicans who prioritize Ukraine over America and its interests will face backlash from voters in 2024, Republican congressman Jim Banks (In.) warned.
“If you’re voting to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine, and you’re not focused on what’s going on in our own country, you’re not going to pass the test in 2024 if you’re a Democrat, or especially if you’re a Republican on the ballot,” he told Breitbart.
President Biden has vowed to support Ukraine indefinitely, with support from most Democrats and many Republicans. Support for Ukraine is especially strong among Republican hawks in the Senate including Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Banks, who is running for Senator Mike Braun’s seat in Indiana, urged Republicans to focus on challenges for Americans at home, including illegal immigration and soaring home costs.
“The voters are looking for America First fighters that understand that we got to get America back on its feet. We gotta go back to the Trump policies that we know that work – to make America strong and great again, and get back to that – not be focused on what’s going on everywhere else, but be focused on what’s going on here at home.”
Biden signed off on another $325 million to Ukraine last week as Congress welcomed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to give a speech appealing to Americans for aid.
“America First” Republicans have blasted Biden’s billions in foreign aid to Ukraine as a betrayal of American interests, especially as the southern border crisis rages unabated.
Biden is also continuing to send more advanced and lethal weaponry, including long-range missiles with the capability of striking Russia, raising concerns about escalation. Shipments of M1 Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine this week.
Amazingly, Biden’s Pentagon has decided to keep funding the war in Ukraine even if the U.S. government shuts down - just further evidence in the eyes of many of the backwards priorities of this administration.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.) is under pressure from some Republicans who have threatened to shut the government down without significant spending cuts, with funding for Ukraine a sticking point.
McCarthy backtracked on a vow to strip Ukraine funding from a defense spending bill, but Banks urged Republicans to back the Speaker in order to strengthen the party’s hand against Democrats.
“He’s got to have the backing from the Republican conference when he goes into that room for the final negotiations, and that’s why when we go through this process this week, it shows the Senate that Republicans are serious.”
