After the death of the bipartisan border deal, the Senate sought to move forward on the foreign aid portions of the bill. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) gave a lengthy address on the floor saying, "For most Americans, [Ukraine] is not a priority," and chastised others who put other countries ahead of the United States.
Sen. Rubio clarified that while "we have a national interest in the outcome" of the Russia-Ukraine war, "it is not an unlimited national interest," meaning it is not a priority compared to Israel and Taiwan.
More importantly, however, Sen. Rubio added, "I know there are people, that if you walked into almost- many places in this country right now, and you explain to them what happened, they would be puzzled. And what people would say no matter how they feel about Ukraine, I think, for most Americans, it is not a priority. Not because they like [President Vladimir] Putin and they like Russia, but because we [have] got a lot of problems that people are dealing with in their everyday life."
The main issue most Americans are concerned with, said Rubio, was the border.
"I think what most people would say is, 'Okay, but if we are going to do that to help Ukraine if we are going to help Ukraine deal with their invasion, shouldn't we first or at least at the same time deal with our invasion?"
In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that immigration is quickly becoming one of the most important issues in the 2024 Election, as voters have expressed frustration with the Biden Administration's handling of the border crisis.
As a result, Rubio chastised the Senate floor for spending the weekend in session for the foreign aid package while ignoring the border, saying, "We never do all [of] this, but when we do it, it is always for somebody else or something that is not as important as for something that is important to us, something that has to do with America, our country. [It] ever happens."
