McConnell steps up personal effort to win Ukraine, border deal 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is ramping up his personal efforts to win agreements on border reform and aid to Ukraine and Israel, which his colleagues say is too much for him. He evaluates it as a major test of his leadership ability.

Mr. McConnell is a leading Republican supporter of Ukraine and has come under increasing pressure as Ukraine's military runs out of ammunition and weapons.

He has tasked Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) with leading border negotiations with the Biden administration and Senate Democrats, but has stepped up his own involvement.

Republican leaders reminded their colleagues at a private luncheon Tuesday not to lose sight of the pressing national security challenges posed by Russia, Iran and China.

“I think he's stepped it up even more. One Republican senator, who requested anonymity as to why he initially distanced himself from negotiations before becoming more involved in recent weeks, said that McConnell was really -I think they were trying to give Mr. Lankford enough room to run for a deal.

“For a while, the negotiations weren't progressing the way people expected, but now they're back and we're going to have to wait very, very, very long until we can make sure we can get a deal done,” he said. I think we're getting close to that,” he added.

“And now I think Mitch looked at that and said, 'Now is the time to highlight why we can't let this go to waste.'” Although not everything everyone wants comes true. , there are other problems as well [the U.S.-Mexico] It's a border that we have an obligation to think about,” the source said, recounting McConnell's message to the Republican convention.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McConnell reiterated claims within the Republican conference that the world has become more dangerous in recent weeks.

“The world was in many dangers before we left, and it is in even more danger now. Of course we are working hard to get an agreement to improve the situation on our borders. , but it's also important to remember that the world is literally at war,” he said.

“Make no mistake about it. This is the most serious international situation we've faced since the fall of the Berlin Wall. We need to pass replenishment. We need strong border rules as part of that,” McConnell said. he declared. “Our hope is that we will get results, and that we will get them quickly.”

Republican senators say Mr. McConnell wants to keep a border security deal open and send aid to conservatives in the Senate, especially Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who wants to give $5 billion in aid to Ukraine backers. ) states that they are working to ensure that the request does not derail the project. About the number of migrants who cross the border every month.

Johnson said McConnell told Lankford that insisting that regular funding installments to Ukraine be pegged to monthly declines in migrant flows should not be a Republican demand.

“I've heard that before. [McConnell] “I basically told Mr. Lankford that that was not a consideration,” Johnson said.

Mr Lankford denied claims that Mr McConnell had given marching orders, instead arguing that Mr Johnson's proposals were polarizing the conference.

But the Wisconsin senator doesn't buy that explanation. He believes McConnell is influencing negotiations from behind the scenes.

“Mr. Lankford is saying, 'Well, that's going to divide our conference.' Well, this in itself is dividing our conference,” Johnson said.

Johnson said McConnell's top priority is passing funding for Ukraine and that he would agree to reform asylum and border security laws as necessary to accomplish that.

“That's how he played from day one,” he said. “He recognizes, 'Maybe if we tighten up border security,'” he could get Senate Republicans skeptical about funding the Ukraine war to vote “yes.”

Mr. McConnell's allies have pushed back against Mr. Johnson's criticism, denouncing his idea to index military aid to Ukraine and questioning whether he would support a bipartisan deal.

Mr. McConnell's supporters say this is the last chance in years to win significant border reform, as Republicans who want to end emergency foreign aid and want to save the issue of border chaos until the 2024 election. It warns that it may become.

Republican senators have predicted that a border security deal, if passed, would likely divide the Senate Republican conference and could hurt McConnell's support among conservatives who would vote against it. There is.

“I believe it's more important to him personally than it is to him as a leader,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (D) said. “If he's going to pull that off as a leader, there's going to be a price.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who challenged McConnell for the top leadership position after the 2022 midterm elections, said McConnell has called for conservatives to voice their concerns about border security negotiations. He said he did not want to hold a special meeting Wednesday. negotiation.

“I knew he didn't even want to spend time with me,” Scott said. “I know he really wants to help Ukraine.”

Mr. McConnell's allies say any border deal reached next week could ultimately be a major victory for Republicans on border security.

And they stress that whatever new tools Congress gives President Biden to reduce border crossings could be used to great effect by former President Trump or future Republican presidents.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), who attended Wednesday's special Republican border conference, echoed that assertion, saying: The government “polices the border.”

McConnell warned on the Senate floor Wednesday that failure to pass military aid to Ukraine would undermine America's long-term strategic interests and weaken relationships with allies around the world.

“Giving Russia a victory in Ukraine because of lapses in attention will only shred America's credibility and weaken important alliances, as we face two major adversaries at once,” he said. “We will be forced to fight even more directly.” “Honestly, I can't think of a more short-sighted strategic gamble.”