Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawley said, according to The Hill, that President Joe Biden doesn't really care about sending aid to Israel, or for that matter Ukraine; otherwise, he would grant Republicans their concessions to secure the southern border.
While congressional Republicans en masse have supported funding wars in Israel and in Ukraine, Hawley stated on Fox News: "We should have passed aid to Israel a long time ago. I mean, our ally Israel is fighting for their existence; we should have done that immediately. But the Biden administration doesn't really care about Israel aid, that's the bottom line. Just like they don't really care about the border."
In a statement given earlier according to NBC News, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., affirmed that aid to Israel and Ukraine was a priority over securing the southern border, a concern not shared by FBI Director Christopher Wray.
"The holdup on the security supplemental has not been over Ukraine or Israel or over the Indo-Pacific but over the Republican decision to inject hard-right immigration measures into the debate, Schumer said Monday following the collapse in Senate negotiations for Biden's supplemental security package. "We're willing to make concessions, but we will not keep going in circles if Republicans aren't interested in meeting us halfway."
On Wednesday, the Senate failed to reach the 60-vote threshold with a 49-51 vote, blocking consideration of the supplemental aid proposal.
Hawley criticized the package, stating that the Biden administration combined Israel aid and funding for the border with Ukraine, which they seemed to prioritize above all else.
The senator then stated that the border is currently wide open, which has resulted in a record number of terrorists on the terrorist watch list entering the United States last year. Hawley further emphasized that the president is prioritizing funding foreign affairs over protecting Americans.
"It's Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine," Hawley stated. "And I'm just going to tell you, I, for one, am not going to vote for a dime more for Ukraine until the United States' security, our border security, is made whole and made right."