Jonathan Bernstein, Columnist

Republicans Would Rather Seek Ransom Than Compromise on Ukraine

Most GOP lawmakers support aid to Ukraine and Israel, but only on their terms.

December 6, 2023 at 12:30 PM UTC

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio, he wrote A Plain Blog About Politics.

No compromise.
Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

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We finally have the definitive quote of the current 118th Congress and it’s from Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn. It’s about the continuing failure to pass something almost everyone in both parties wants — aid to Israel — as well as continuing aid to Ukraine, which all Democrats and the majority of Republicans support. So why can’t they get it done? Because Republicans are demanding major concessions on asylum and border policies.

Cornyn explains: