House Approves $95 Billion Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan Aid

“Ukraine” chants on the House floor…

pic.twitter.com/wmimCXKGiM

— ALX ?? (@alx) April 20, 2024

Ukrainian flags fly in the chamber of the UNITED STATES House of Representatives as they vote to send more of your hard-earned money to a corrupt foreign regime. And just like that they shout “UKRAINE! UKRAINE!”while happily working to secure Ukraine’s borders, not ours. pic.twitter.com/ZXZo1kliNl

— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) April 20, 2024

This is the U.S. House of Representatives under the direction of Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrats are celebrating his total capitulation with no victory for securing our border. #MTV pic.twitter.com/TtaIgnX9eg

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) April 20, 2024

Hakeem Jeffries commends “traditional conservatives led by Speaker Mike Johnson” for bringing the giant war funding bill. These same people will spend the rest of the year inundating us with propaganda about the allegedly unbridgeable differences between Democrats and Republicans pic.twitter.com/sgPN1j8VUA

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Nancy Pelosi “salutes” Speaker Mike Johnson (and by extension, Donald Trump) for making the war legislation possible. She says anyone who votes against Ukraine funding will have the blood of raped Ukrainian women on their hands. Real sicko stuff here — but thoroughly bipartisan pic.twitter.com/bE1RScQWa8

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) calls Putin a “Communist KGB thug” who wants to conquer the Baltics and Poland. This is the actually-existing Republican Party — not the fake “isolationist” or “pro-Putin” version that the media and deluded online commenters have hallucinated pic.twitter.com/FDvWOffD7g

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), demanding passage of the war funding bill, denounces Putin as a “murderous Marxist Socialist dictator.” Again, this is the actually-existing Republican Party — not the one that exists only in the fever dreams of Resistance Libs and MSNBC pundits pic.twitter.com/C9DOAbt6dN

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

These people are dangerously deluded. They’re convinced that their melodramatic Churchill impersonations will “reverberate through history.” Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA), the Democratic whip, inveighs against opponents of the war funding bill as “enemies of freedom.” What a psycho pic.twitter.com/EXAJcXFQ99

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

These people truly have mush for brains. They all flip a switch and recite the same “World War II Mad Libs” featuring Chamberlain and Churchill — then that’s their entire argument for pumping out $100 billion in war funding. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) might as well be lobotomized pic.twitter.com/0FN6Lq2N20

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Oh my God. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) quotes “the visionary Ben Shapiro” for his rousing defense of Speaker Mike Johnson this week. Wilson then proceeds to babble something semi-coherent: “In conclusion, God Bless our troops” for the “Global War on Terrorism.” We truly live in Hell pic.twitter.com/8MduU2uygb

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

The melodramatic pontificating continues with Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA). “Some say, well, we have to deal with our border first,” bellows Connolly. “The Ukrainian Russian border is OUR border!”

Who knew?!? It’s basically like the border between Virginia and Maryland pic.twitter.com/51rQcpdqOd

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

The floor debate on the giant war funding bill has begun, and thus begins the parade of melodramatic pontificating. “Once again, dear friends, into the breach!” bellows Rep. French Hill (R-AR), as he compares the US funding Ukraine to France funding the American Revolution pic.twitter.com/j9ygEvmKrL

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

“Evil is on the march! History is calling! And now is the time to act!” declares Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX). He says Congress has an opportunity today to do the equivalent of “stopping Hitler” in the 1930s

We are governed by psychos who clearly have a sick craving for World War III pic.twitter.com/uppR2v4w6p

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Like so many of his colleagues, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) swiftly reverts to the emotional blackmail of World War II quasi-history to bully everyone into voting for the mammoth war funding bill. That’s all they have. Not one of these people will make a rational, reasoned argument pic.twitter.com/P1Aab64DE1

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) brags about how much Arkansas will prosper as a result of the war funding bill: “Arkansas, like many other states, is the forge of the arsenal of democracy.” Womack is a top recipient of $$$$$ from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and other arms manufacturers pic.twitter.com/25Aa42nCj3

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

These people live inside a Marvel Movie of their own making. Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) proclaims Putin, Xi, the Ayatollahs, and Kim Jong Un “are teaming up to destroy any glimpse of freedom and democracy in their path.” Yeah, those guys are clearly desperate to conquer Orange County pic.twitter.com/54wE14UAab

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, claims a Russian victory in Ukraine will “embolden” Kim Jong Un, President Xi, and the Ayatollahs to “fatally confront” the United States, and Putin will invade the rest of Eastern Europe pic.twitter.com/mDVjHMkBck

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 20, 2024

The House of Representatives and Speaker Mike Johnson don’t give a damn about the American people, our border, our jobs, our economy, or our national security.

The most important thing in Congress is spending another $61 BILLION of YOUR money to fuel a war in Ukraine, protect a… pic.twitter.com/xcQk6OuEsk

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene?? (@RepMTG) April 20, 2024

To all the republicans who just booed me and my colleagues on the House floor for Ukraine flags here’s my answer — screw putin and Slava Ukraini! pic.twitter.com/53leSVjHtr

— Bill Pascrell, Jr. ???? (@BillPascrell) April 20, 2024

Mike Johnson betrayed America once again.

After doing nothing to secure America’s Southern border, reauthorizing FISA to spy on the American people without a warrant, fully funding Joe Biden’s DOJ that has indicted President Trump 91 times, and giving Biden’s political gestapo a… pic.twitter.com/8ZnQB5ry5j

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene?? (@RepMTG) April 20, 2024

I’m grateful to Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats, and to Speaker Johnson and the representatives of the Republican Party who worked in earnest, for getting the aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan across the finish line — helping to defend freedom against authoritarianism…

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) April 20, 2024

Thank you United States House of Representatives for standing up for American principles and against the murderous KGB vision of Vladimir Putin.

Prayers for a free and secure ??

— Russell Moore (@drmoore) April 20, 2024

The Fourteen Republicans who voted AGAINST Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel Aid Omnibus:

1. Biggs of AZ
2. Boebert of CO
3. Clyde of GA
4. Crane of AZ
5. Gaetz of FL
6. Good of VA
7. Gosar of AZ
8. Greene of GA
9. Harris of MD
10. Massie of KY
11. Nehls of TX
12. Norman of SC
13.…

— Joey Mannarino (@JoeyMannarinoUS) April 20, 2024

Today has been one of the biggest legislative train-wrecks in US history pic.twitter.com/oirw9swRGf

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 21, 2024

Real headline. Not a spoof. It’s that dumb pic.twitter.com/OtCHOwwInq

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 21, 2024

This is the United States House of Representatives while our own border is wide open.

Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/kJS7yeEDWZ

— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) April 20, 2024

Well, this is quite a sight. pic.twitter.com/sfWlD6yWdI

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) April 21, 2024

Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly dropped to his knees in prayer for guidance on how to handle the Ukraine matter. Always fascinating when the voice of God becomes interchangeable with the voice of the National Security State pic.twitter.com/E8CfZTghR7

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 21, 2024

At least 19 references to Ronald Reagan today on the House floor. Nothing new about the interminable cult-of-personality around TV entertainers who later became president

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) April 21, 2024

The very Republicans who rail against the “weaponization of government” just voted *for* more weaponization of government. Congress didn’t just reauthorize FISA 702, they dramatically expanded its scope. Blaming Democrats is easy, looking ourselves in the mirror is harder. Wake… pic.twitter.com/jopJtY3uqC

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 20, 2024

This is a Republican U.S. Congressman who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee & is wearing flag pins of multiple different countries on national television. Interestingly, the United States of America isn’t one of them. pic.twitter.com/ayMd1l7Itr

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) April 21, 2024

I’ve had some time to sit with my anger.

I am determined not to irrationally and emotionally react to this setback.

Nothing new was revealed yesterday in the House vote on Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid. We have long known that the Republican Party is about evenly split on Ukraine aid. We have known that the Democrats are bitterly split on Israel aid. There is much more support in both parties for Taiwan aid.

In the end, every single Democrat voted for Ukraine aid and even burst out in celebration chanting “Ukraine” while waving Ukrainian flags when the bill passed. 112 Republicans voted against Ukraine aid. 101 Republicans voted for it. House Speaker Mike Johnson is being compared to Winston Churchill for breaking the Hastert rule and allowing the bill to be put on the floor without the support of a majority of his own caucus. Ukraine hawks control every single important committee in the House.

As the House debate on Ukraine aid vividly showed, there are two Republican parties. There is a populist, nationalist and libertarian wing led by Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie whose audience is younger and more online. There is also a more traditional conservative wing led by people like Mike McCaul and Dan Crenshaw whose audience is older and watches FOX News. Around 15 percent of Republican voters supported Nikki Haley in the 2024 primary. Around 30 percent of Republican voters are Reaganites who voted for Ted Cruz in 2016 and supported Ron DeSantis in 2024.

In recent years, the Bush and Reaganinte wings of the Republican Party have been in decline. This was confirmed by the 2024 primary in which DeSantis and Haley got blown out. It has also played out in Congress with a series of retirements in the House and Senate. The best recent example of this is J.D. Vance, a strong critic of Ukraine aid, replacing Rob Portman who was a stalwart Ukraine hawk in the Senate in the 2022 midterms. In spite of this, Reaganites and Bush Republicans who represent older voters remain entrenched and overrepresented in Congress and yesterday they scored a pyrrhic victory.

Don’t be fooled.

Congress isn’t a lost cause.

Older voters and entrenched establishments have always been overrepresented in Washington. Older people are much more likely to vote. It takes time for them to lose altitude and power. That’s why it seems like our views have become so much more influential over the last ten years.

In the House debate, Ronald Reagan was invoked 19 times before the final vote on Ukraine aid. Older Republicans made up their minds about Russia and foreign policy during the Cold War. Reagan was a decisive influence on their politics. Winston Churchill was also repeatedly brought up during the debate. Mike Johnson was compared to Churchill for putting the Ukraine aid bill on the floor. Many of these people compared Putin to Hitler and Ukraine to Great Britain. We are living in the 1930s. We are unironically fighting an “Axis of Evil” in the form of evil dictators who rule Russia, China and Iran. It brought back memories of the GOP of the W. years in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq.

The key difference is that today this sort of rhetoric is highly controversial and was met with widespread ridicule online. House Speaker Mike Johnson could end up losing his job. What used to be more of the mainstream consensus in the Republican Party in the 2000s has shrunk down to 1/3 to 1/2 of the party. It continues to shrink with each passing year and the vote on Ukraine aid is another milestone in the decline of this worldview. This vote also showed that Ukraine aid is not becoming more popular.

The most constructive way to respond to this defeat is to 1.) end Mike Johnson’s political career to send a message, 2.) use it further shift our politics in an isolationist direction when it becomes clear that it is yet another gargantuan waste of money and example of neglecting our domestic priorities and 3.) to accelerate the decline of Reaganism by purging as many of the House Republicans who voted for this as possible like Dan Crenshaw, Tom Cole, Joe Wilson and Mike McCaul.

Again, the political situation isn’t hopeless. This faction is already in decline. It just needs to be given a hard push to expedite its slide into irrelevance. We already succeeding in defining the issue.