It appears that quite a few Republicans want to eliminate US aid to Ukraine. I previously called this group The Appeasement Caucus. Just appease Putin and let him take Ukraine. You would have thought they would have learned from history that appeasement is not a good strategy. See Hitler and World War 2 for a good example.

But the cause of Ukraine is pretty popular with the public. So Putin’s Pals need a way to to deny the aid without too much outcry. Speaker Mike Johnson found the answer, just tie it to immigration reform and then reject that. So Putin’s Pals can just say that the failure to aid Ukraine is just an unfortunate victim of their stand on border security.

Now that Donald Trump as spoken against the Senate Compromise bill, Senator Mitch McConnell who had supported the bill turned against it. As the AP put it:

In a dramatic turnaround, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell recommended to GOP senators in a closed-door meeting that they vote against the first procedural vote Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the meeting who were not authorized to talk publicly about it and spoke anonymously.

It came just hours after the Kentucky Republican had urged colleagues on the Senate floor that “it’s now time for Congress to take action.”

So Putin’s Pals or Trump lackies. Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference.