What Did Mitch McConnell Just Say Was America's 'Number One Priority'?

Spencer Brown | December 20, 2022 5:00 PM

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon in the U.S. Capitol, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was talking about priorities for the United States as lawmakers rush to pass a $1.7 trillion omnibus bill.

According to Leader McConnell — who said he was speaking for "most Republicans" — the "number one priority" for the United States is not any of the pressing domestic issues plaguing Americans as a result of President Joe Biden and his administration.

No, McConnell said that "providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans." Really?

MCCONNELL: "Providing assistance for Ukrainians to defeat the Russians is the number one priority for the United States right now, according to most Republicans.”

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— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 20, 2022

Not securing the U.S.-Mexico border to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States or prevent deadly fentanyl and dangerous traffickers from exploiting the open border? Not ending the tax-and-spend policies from Democrats that have driven inflation to 40-year highs? Not restarting America's energy resource industry to make the United States independent from the whims of foreign leaders and their wars? Not rebuking the woke "social justice" reform movement and the district attorneys who've set violent criminals loose on America's streets?

Nope, none of that. The the "number one priority" McConnell is operating under is to send more weapons and funding to Ukraine after more than 300 days of war against Russia following Putin's invasion. And he couldn't be more wrong, especially when he claimed to be speaking on behalf of "most Republicans."

According to Gallup survey results published last week, "[a]fter Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Americans’ mentions of Russia as the top U.S. problem jumped from 2% to 9% in March. Although the war continues, mentions of it as the most important problem dropped to 5% in April, and it has not been named by more than 1% of Americans in the latter half of 2022." So no, aiding Ukraine is not the "number one priority" for the US. The latest survey found that exactly zero percent of Republicans listed Russia's invasion of Ukraine as their top concern. Instead, Republicans nationwide identified their top concerns as the government, inflation, and immigration.