Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) was heartened to find Ukraine support in his own state capital as he returned from war-torn Lviv and Kyiv and his meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. It was Blumenthal’s fifth trip to Ukraine since the Russian incursion began two years ago and he was heartened by his Connecticut constituents’ show of respect for Ukraine’s fortitude, as he tweeted below, referencing “[Vladimir] Putin’s savage, criminal invasion.”
Returning from Ukraine just 24 hours earlier, I was inspired & proud to join hundreds at our state Capitol observing the 2 year mark in that brave nation’s relentless resistance against Putin’s savage, criminal invasion. pic.twitter.com/weQ2AqwiUO
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) February 26, 2024
Blumenthal is far less heartened by what he sees in Washington, D.C., as further U.S. aid to Ukraine is increasingly imperiled by GOP reluctance in the House of Representatives — despite a bipartisan Senate bill passing the upper chamber.
Under alleged pressure from former President Donald Trump and other MAGA objectors, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) vowed that the security bill — like the previous bipartisan attempt, which included U.S.-Mexico border security measures also — was Dead On Arrival in the House. Johnson vowed that he wouldn’t put the latest bill on the floor.
Blumenthal switched between waxing poetic about Ukrainian bravery and sounding the alarm over American reluctance, admitting that despite two years of unexpectedly strong resistance by Ukrainian forces, “Ukraine is at a life or death moment.”
Ukraine is at a life or death moment. On my 5th trip to Ukraine—since the start of Russia’s savage, murderous invasion 2 years ago tomorrow—I heard from President Zelenskyy that his lines will break & Putin will conquer his country, unless the U.S. provides arms & ammunition. 1/ https://t.co/ssPrXt4PnY
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) February 23, 2024
President Biden has asked to meet the so-called Big Four — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — on Tuesday at the White House, as financial assistance runs out in the U.S. and time runs out in Ukraine.
Now the House must pass the Supplemental National Security Act with vital arms aid & humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel, & others.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) February 26, 2024
Blumenthal’s plea met with derision in the comments, which are dominated by ‘America First’ adherents. Many reactions portray funding for Ukraine security and funding for U.S.-Mexico border security as mutually exclusive endeavors, as if one initiative — defense of Ukraine or the U.S. — has to be chosen and the paired option neglected.
Blumenthal doesn’t do much to help defang the arguments of those who criticize his prioritization — or lack thereof — of the border crisis, with his most publicized trips to the border occurring during the Trump administration, when the Senator pushed not for less migration but mainly for better systems to process migrants.
