Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the outgoing chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said to his successor, “God help me,” as he faces enormous global challenges and the unpredictability of the Trump administration. ' he advised.
Speaking on an Atlantic Council panel, McCall drew laughs with his response, but stepping down as chairman will likely give him more freedom to comment on the Trump administration's foreign policy. said.
The president-elect has criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, questioned defending Taiwan from Chinese aggression, and criticized NATO members as freeloaders, deepening concerns among U.S. partners and allies about the backlash of tariffs. . And McCall is walking a fine line. Although he supports Trump, he has been outspoken in areas where he disagrees with the president-elect's positions.
“I think the chairman is going to be bound by what comes out of the White House. I certainly support most of those ideas, but I'm going to speak my mind, influence people, persuade people. “I have some freedom and flexibility to do that,'' he said.
Mr. McCaul urged House Republicans to rescind their waivers to serve as Foreign Affairs Committee chair beyond the imposed term limits, including Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Missouri) and Rep. Brian Mast (R-Florida). A fight for the chairmanship began among his colleagues. ), Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), and Joe Wilson (R.C.).
“I think there will be a role for me. I've never thought of myself as an older person, but some sort of — not a senior politician, but maybe an elder statesman. “You'll be given a role where your colleagues can listen and provide leadership,” he said.
The Texas Republican describes himself as center-right. He has criticized far-right members of his party for rejecting U.S. aid to Ukraine and the Biden administration for making decisions on aid to Kiev too slowly, undermining Russia's fight against an aggressive war.
“Now we have people who are pro-Putin and love Russia, and I don't understand that,” he said, giving the green light to President Biden's decision to strike deep into Russian territory using weapons provided by Western countries. He said this, referring to the fact that he has been criticized for issuing the following.
“We cannot afford to lose this battle, and it is extremely important to our national interests, because if Ukraine collapses, next will be Taiwan and it will be World War III.”
