During a classified Senate intelligence briefing on Ukraine, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) reportedly became agitated when Republican senators raised questions about border security. The meeting, which took place on Tuesday, included high-level Biden administration and military officials such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Charles Q. Brown Jr., according to The Hill.
Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) reportedly questioned the senior officials about the significance of securing the U.S. southern border. Cramer asked General Brown if supporting Ukraine and Israel was important enough that Democrats could consider reluctantly supporting some southern border security. This question is reported to have provoked Schumer’s ire.
Schumer later accused the Republican senators of showing disrespect towards the military officials present. He claimed that one of them had started screaming at one of the generals, questioning why he didn’t go to the border. Schumer also accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) of trying to divert the focus of the intelligence briefing to the border crisis, which he considered unrelated to the meeting’s purpose.
Schumer’s reaction to the Republican senators’ line of questioning was criticized by Senator Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with the Democrats. King reportedly defended the Republicans’ right to seek answers about the border crisis, stating that although it may not have been the appropriate time or place, the issue was important and worthy of discussion.
The tension in the meeting underscores the ongoing political struggle over the Biden administration’s handling of both the border crisis and the situation in Ukraine. As President Biden requests more funding for Ukraine from Congress, Republicans are pushing for more action on the border crisis. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has voiced his concern, criticizing the Biden administration for its failure to address the border crisis while seeking additional funds for Ukraine. According to Johnson, any national security supplemental package must begin with addressing the US border crisis.
