Trump and the „pro-Putin wing”
US Republicans are suspicious of Ukrainian aid

By Roland Peters
10/24/2022 at 7:38 PM

The US Congress has so far agreed to help Ukraine by a large majority. That could change within two weeks after the election. One republic is already revolting around a „pro-Putin wing” in its party.

winter is coming. Russia bombs energy infrastructure in Ukraine. The Ukrainian army is currently repelling the Russian armed forces, also thanks to the help of NATO countries, especially the USA. If their support collapses, Ukraine will not be able to prevent the Russian occupation. And that’s also what counts on November 8th, when Americans re-elected large parts of Congress. Majority and power relations will change, that’s for sure. The question is: how exactly? Because it may depend on how the war in Ukraine continues.

So far, Democrats have a majority in both houses of Congress. Poll results suggest that Republicans should soon have at least control of the House of Representatives. The GOP leadership could benefit from this; The crux of the matter is government funding. The president submits a budget proposal that must be approved by Congress. Parliament must also approve an increase in the debt limit. Republicans can block here if things don’t go according to their ideas.

For President Joe Biden and Democrats, this means the prospect of having to make painful concessions to the opposition if money is to continue to flow at a similar rate. The result will be for other NATO countries: either they will intervene financially in the breach despite the energy crisis, inflation and possible recession – or they will explain to Ukraine why solidarity is now reaching its limits.

So far, Congress has pledged more than $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, most of it with a clear majority of different parties. The United States has not poured much money into an armed conflict since the Vietnam War. At the same time, inflation remains high for the population, and wage developments are lagging far behind.

Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican parliamentary group in the House, said recently that Ukraine „should not be given a blank check.” McCarthy was also named future majority leader. „People will be in a slump,” he said. „Ukraine is important, but it can’t be the only thing (Democrats) are doing.” Also referred to the situation on the Southern border with MexicoThe number of migrants crossing outside the official crossings is heading to a new record.

It is not certain that the war will actually push the United States into recession. In September, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development lowered its economic forecast for the United States to 1.5 percent this year. But it also sees a slight 0.5 percent growth for next year. The International Monetary Fund currently assumes 1 percent. The World Bank is more than that.

Cheney on a collision course

The tone of the harsh election campaign has become sharper since McCarthy’s testimony. In addition to the public outcry expected from Democrats, there is also criticism from within their party. Republican Representative Liz Cheney, for example, who was kicked out of the parliamentary group leadership last year for disloyalty to Donald Trump and ostracized parts of the party, has described McCarthy as the leader of the „pro-Putin wing.” For the Republicans. By that she means isolationists, who tend to include former President Donald Trump. At the start of the invasion, he praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a „genius” and „very smart” after Moscow recognized and invaded two Ukrainian regions’ independence there.

Cheney even cautioned against giving McCarthy the primary responsibility with a majority in the House of Representatives. „The faction leader comes directly behind the president,” she explained. “Whenever he had a choice between doing the right thing or pursuing his political interests, he chose his personal goals.” Cheney is one of Trump’s most famous internal rivals and is being traded as a potential future presidential candidate. She has made a name for herself with her internal, partisan opposition to Trump, but she will lose her seat in Parliament. She lost the primaries to Trump-backed rival Harriet Hageman.

Within two weeks, all 435 deputies and 34 of the 100 senators will be re-elected to Congress. While the House elections seem to have been fully decided, there are many neck and neck races in the Senate. Trump, who is highly critical of participation in the war, supports more than 200 Republicans running for election with similar content. Many of them have at least a good chance of winning a mandate. In recent years, pollsters have often been far from reality in terms of their numbers. Republicans often ended up with a larger share of the vote than expected.

McConnell vs. McConnell

The looming struggle over future aid to Ukraine is also internal to Republicans. McCarthy is an avowed ally of Trump, and as such is at odds with Senate Republican faction leader Mitch McConnell. After a fellow party member testified with a blank check, McConnell distanced himself from McCarthy and asserted that the Republican faction in the Senate would ensure Ukraine had the necessary weapons on time. He even called on the Biden government to expand aid.

McConnell has publicly opposed Trump and his party’s wing since the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He is one of the older generation of Republicans who generally support free trade and, if necessary, military power to advance American interests around the world. You and the Democrats may have to contend with ideas of a strong isolationist wing in the Republicans for years to come. Like the Democrats, he presents himself as the social conscience of American society, but he has to ask the question: Why spend money on war in Europe if we can’t even deal with the problems in our own country?