HOUSTON — U.S. Senator John Cornyn, of Houston, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are engaged in a war of words over the Senate's passage of a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
The vote came early Tuesday after a small group of Republicans opposed to the $60 billion for Ukraine held the Senate floor through the night, using the final hours of debate to argue that the U.S. should focus on its own problems before sending more money overseas. But 22 Republicans, including Cornyn, voted with nearly all Democrats to pass the package 70-29. Supporters argued that abandoning Ukraine could embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin and threaten national security across the globe.
The bill’s passage followed almost five months of torturous negotiations over an expansive bill that would have paired foreign aid with an overhaul of border and asylum policies. Republicans demanded the trade-off, saying the surge of migration into the United States had to be addressed alongside the security of allies.
But a bipartisan deal on border security fell apart last week, just days after its unveiling, a head-spinning development that left negotiators deeply frustrated. Republicans declared the bill insufficient and blocked it on the Senate floor.
It's the latest sign of growing political divisions in the Republican Party over the role of the United States abroad.
After the relief bill passed, Paxton slammed Cornyn for supporting it. "This is a question all Texans should be asking. Unbelievable that @JohnCornyn would stay up all night to defend other countries borders, but not America."
Cornyn responded on X with a potshot at Paxton in reference to his ongoing legal troubles.
"Ken, your criminal defense lawyers are calling to suggest you spend less time pushing Russian propaganda and more time defending longstanding felony charges against you in Houston, as well as ongoing federal grand jury proceedings in San Antonio that will probably result in further criminal charges," Cornyn posted.
He later released a lengthy statement explaining why he supported the aid package.
“But the fact remains that the global threat landscape today is more complex than any point since World War II. This legislation replenishes our military stockpiles and addresses the biggest national security threats we face, from Hamas’ horrific attacks on Israel to China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," his statement said in part. Read Cornyn's full statement.
Paxton then countered by calling Cornyn a "RINO," Republican in name only. The attorney general's followers piled on, calling Cornyn "a traitor," "Judas John," and other names we can't print here.
Cornyn also got support for his stance.
"Thank you for ignoring the pro-Putin wing of the GOP and doing the right thing," a group called Republicans Against Trump commented.
The legislation would also provide $14 billion for Israel’s war with Hamas, $8 billion for Taiwan and partners in the Indo-Pacific to counter China, and $9.1 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and other populations caught in conflict zones across the globe.
It faces an uncertain future in the House, where hardline Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump — the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, and a critic of support for Ukraine — oppose the legislation.
Cornyn and Paxton have clashed before
Before Paxton's 2022 runoff with challenger George P. Bush, Cornyn said he was embarrassed by the lingering scandals surrounding Paxton.
“I will tell you that I remain very disturbed by the fact that the incumbent has had an indictment hanging over his head, for now, I don’t know, what has it been, six years? This is the chief law enforcement officer of the state of Texas. And it’s a source of embarrassment to me that that has been unresolved,” Cornyn said.
Paxton said then that he wasn't shocked by Cornyn’s comments.
“He represents the Bush wing of the GOP. I’ll never relate to Senator Cornyn’s ability to compromise with radical Senate Democrats in DC," he tweeted.
During last year's impeachment trial of the embattled attorney general, Cornyn said he’d been watching the trial “off and on” and called the allegations of Paxton’s actions “deeply disturbing.”
In Sept., Texas senators acquitted Paxton on all 16 impeachment articles in his trial.
His legal troubles are far from over. The attorney general faces securities fraud charges for recruiting investors for a Dallas-based tech company but not informing the investors he was hired by the company to do so. That trial is scheduled to begin on April 15 in Houston. There's a pre-trial hearing on Friday, Feb. 16.