As Israel goes on the offensive to destroy Hamas, opposition to supporting one of America’s key allies is growing in Congress.
On Sunday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shared a tweet from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) who used a poll to ask whether users on X, formerly known as Twitter, support aid to Israel or Ukraine, or both.
He wrote, “This week the House will vote on $14.5 billion foreign aid package for Israel, in addition to the $3.8 billion that already passed. I will be a NO vote. Less than 1/3 of the 49,000 people who responded to my poll today support this additional funding. We simply can’t afford it.”
This week the House will vote on $14.5 billion foreign aid package for Israel, in addition to the $3.8 billion that already passed. I will be a NO vote. Less than 1/3 of the 49,000 people who responded to my poll today support this additional funding. We simply can’t afford it. pic.twitter.com/vxa6bY1iXm
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 30, 2023
On a side note, making your policy decisions based on X polls that can be manipulated by bots and trolls is one of the dumbest things ever. And if that is a source of information to influence a legislator’s policy decision, they are not a serious person.
Greene shared Massie’s post and wrote, “I’m voting NO as well. We are $33 TRILLION in debt and our wide open border is a national security crisis.”
I’m voting NO as well.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 30, 2023
We are $33 TRILLION in debt and our wide open border is a national security crisis.
How many of those voters were outside the US?@RepThomasMassie
Does @elonmusk give us the ability to know? https://t.co/ve3bKq0TyI
This opposition to providing assistance to countries under siege is a growing cancer in the Republican Party. It started in earnest with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson inexplicably leading the charge against supporting Ukraine as he bizarrely screamed, “Ukraine!” at various points during his show.
And it seems it has not stopped there, and there is no reason to believe it will stop.
Some Republicans suggest the U.S. should be prioritizing Taiwan over Ukraine as they argue China is a greater threat than Russia.
Yet as we’ve seen with Israel, it appears there is a growing group of Republicans who simply oppose aid to any country simply because it is not being spent in the U.S., regardless if that country is our ally.
The United States can support Ukraine and Israel while taking care of its domestic issues. The failure to do so is not because it does not have the funds or the ability to do so. It is solely a failure of the Biden administration.
The U.S. should be supporting countries that are facing existential threats from hostile nations and terrorist organizations. It has a vested interest in making sure authoritarian leaders who think they can run easily roughshod over their neighbors pay a heavy price and our friends abroad are protected.
And those who believe in Western values should want to stand up for countries that embrace our core tenants.
When belligerent nations think a nation’s allies will not support them, they will be more inclined to invade other countries and try to expand their borders, putting at risk the world order.
If the U.S. is seen as a chaotic, ungovernable, and unreliable partner that will turn its back on its allies, then all bets are off and the world will be less safe.
Still, a more potent reason for the U.S. to support its allies and friendly nations is this question: If the U.S. declines to help its allies and can’t even send military assistance — not boots on the ground — why would they help us in our time of need?