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McConnell, now nearing his 82nd birthday, is determined to fund the Ukrainian war effort, a push his allies have depicted as legacy-defining. But now that his party is set on Wednesday to reject a bipartisan trade of tougher border policies for war funding, his far-right critics are speaking out more loudly: Several held a press conference Tuesday where they denounced his handling of the border talks, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) calling on McConnell to step down.
In an interview, McConnell rejected the criticism and said his antagonists fail to recognize the reality of divided government.
âIâve had a small group of persistent critics the whole time Iâve been in this job. They had their shot,â McConnell said, referring to Sen. Rick Scottâs (R-Fla.) challenge to his leadership in 2022.
âThe reason weâve been talking about the border is because they wanted to, the persistent critics,â he added. âYou canât pass a bill without dealing with a Democratic president and a Democratic Senate.â
Despite that pragmatism, McConnellâs job is only getting harder. If he runs for another term in leadership next year, a tougher fight than Scott gave him seems almost inevitable.
That is in part because of Donald Trump, whom McConnell barely acknowledges after criticizing his role in the Capitol riot of Jan. 6, 2021. The former president played a leading role in killing the border deal and has called consistently for McConnellâs ouster. And at this time next year, Trump could well be back in the White House.
More and more of Senate Republicansâ internal strife is seeping out into public view, exposing years-old beefs that are still simmering. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) posted a fundraising
link asking donors to âkill this border billâ in the middle of a
closed-door GOP meeting on Monday and demanded ânew leadership,â while Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) memed McConnell as Charlie Brown whiffing on an attempt to kick a football held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).
âIâve been super unhappy since this started,â Johnson said in an interview. âLeader McConnell completely blew this.â
Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson helped squash the border billâs prospects in the House while Ron Johnson, Lee, Cruz, Vance and Scott pummeled it on TV and social media. The intensity of that assault turned many GOP senators sour on a border security deal that would have amounted to the most conservative immigration bill backed by a Democratic president in a generation â a bill they once said was the key to unlocking Ukraine aid.
Though McConnell touted the work of Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and the billâs endorsement by the Border Patrol union, he conceded what was obvious by Monday night: This legislation is dead.
âThe reason we ended up where we are is the members decided, since it was never going to become law, they didnât want to deal with it,â McConnell said in the interview. âI donât know who is at fault here, in terms of trying to cast public blame.â
At Tuesdayâs party meeting, Cruz told McConnell that the border deal was indefensible, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) questioned why the GOP would walk away from it, according to two people familiar with the meeting. That followed a Monday evening private meeting where Johnson got into a near-shouting match with Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), one of several senators who has tried to rebut Trumpâs influence on the party.
Young played down the spat afterward: âRon and I have a very good relationship. We can be very candid with one another.â
McConnellâs loud critics are among those most responsible for raising opposition to the border deal, attacking its provisions while the text was being finalized. They raised such a ruckus that none of McConnellâs potential successors as leader â Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Thune (R-S.D.) â offered to support it.
McConnell canât be ejected spontaneously like a House speaker, meaning his job is safe until the end of the year. He also has major sway over the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that may have to help Cruz, Scott and other Republicans win reelection.
And McConnell is not without defenders. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said any attempt to blame McConnell for the border crackup is âa bit misplaced.â
Indeed, McConnell was OK with just approving foreign aid back in the fall, but agreed to link it to border security after rank-and-file Republicans grew eager to extract concessions from Democrats in order to get Ukraine money.
âItâs not Jamesâ fault, he did the best he could under the circumstances. Itâs not Mitchâs fault,â said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.).
The historical record holds plenty of quotes from McConnellâs current critics asking for stronger border policy during the Trump administration. Many of them now have since changed their tune to say Biden doesnât need new laws at all to enforce border security.
âWe all wanted to see border security. And I think a lot of our members were demanding that in exchange for the rest of the funding. Thatâs an issue our conference needs to be aware of,â said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), the No. 4 leader. âThe conference wanted border security.â
The animosity McConnell now faces from Ron Johnson, Lee and others isnât new either: Theyâve questioned Senate GOP leadershipâs decisions for years.
Ron Johnsonâs long been a thorn in McConnellâs side for years, particular after many Republicans abandoned his reelection bid in 2016. Cruz has sparred with McConnell since getting to the Senate in 2013, Lee frequently breaks with leadership and a number of newer GOP senators voted for Scott over McConnell in 2022.
One GOP senator, granted anonymity to assess the situation candidly, said that the new wave of attacks could be happening because McConnellâs opponents sense weakness â or just out of âpersonal piqueâ over years-old disagreements.
âFor three months itâs been nothing but border and Ukraine, border and Ukraine, border and Ukraine. I donât know how many speeches Iâve heard ⌠and now all of a sudden, itâs: âWeâre not going to do that,ââ said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), another of the McConnell critics. âIt just seems like total chaos to me.â
Either way, the 180 among many Republicans is evidence of a major drift away from McConnellâs style of Republicanism and toward Trumpâs. McConnell hasnât talked to Trump since the Jan. 6 riot and tried to turn the party in a surprisingly deal-centric direction during the first two years of President Joe Bidenâs presidency.
Just two years ago, debt ceiling increases, gun safety and infrastructure laws passed with McConnellâs blessing â all a reflection of his view that protecting the filibuster requires working with Democrats on bipartisan bills.
Now the reality is that Trump, the likely nominee, doesnât want a deal that Republicans set out to secure four months ago. Deal-making without Trumpâs blessing appears impossible, and thatâs a challenging dynamic for the longtime GOP leader.
âThis wasnât good for him. This wasnât good for any of us,â said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) of McConnell, whom he backed in 2022. âAnd Iâm not gonna say heâs the total cause of it, but we got to have a better plan. This didnât work out for us.â
Ursula Perano contributed to this report.
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