Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has insisted that the recent U.S. foreign aid package to Ukraine was a small change for the American taxpayer.
In an interview with Fox News’s Dana Perino, McConnell said that the $61 billion foreign aid package passed by Congress last week was “not a whole lot of money.”
“It is only 0.2 per cent of our gross domestic product, so put in that context, it’s not a whole lot of money for us, but it’s a very significant step for them because it gives them the more sophisticated weapons they need to hold the Russians at bay,” he explained.
“Russians are trying to take their country and they have an enormous incentive, and it doesn’t require any of our personnel, we’re not getting any Americans killed, we’re helping them defend their independence and also degrade the military of one of our biggest adversaries,” he continued.
Fox News' Dana Perino: “Is $60 billion [in the foreign aid package] enough money for Ukraine to push back Russia decisively?”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “Well, we hope so.” pic.twitter.com/pcJL0v3uKs
— The Recount (@therecount) April 24, 2024
The bill, which passed on a 79-18 vote, combines $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel’s war against Hamas, and approximately $4 billion designated for the Indo-Pacific region. It also includes a provision that could potentially result in the banning of TikTok within the United States unless the company agrees to divest.
Earlier this week, McConnell also slammed conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson for the “demonization” of Ukraine among the Republican grassroots.
“I think the demonization of Ukraine began by Tucker Carlson, who, in my opinion, ended up where he It should have been all along, which is interviewing Vladimir Putin. And so he had an enormous audience, which convinced a lot of rank and file Republicans that maybe this was a mistake.”