Key facts
- Mitch McConnell's absence from the Senate is creating difficulties for passing a defense spending bill.
- Republican leaders are struggling to secure the necessary votes for the bill.
- McConnell's hospitalization coincides with a stalled appropriations process due to partisan disagreements.
- The absence of McConnell, a proponent of internationalist security policies, complicates efforts to align with Trump's more isolationist stance.
- Senate Appropriations Committee markups have been delayed due to the ongoing standoff over spending levels.
Mitch McConnell's absence from the Senate is adding another layer of complexity to efforts to boost the Pentagon's budget, a move favored by Donald Trump. While the White House may not require McConnell's specific vote to advance a reconciliation bill, his absence creates further challenges for GOP leaders already struggling to unite their caucus behind a defense spending plan.
With McConnell, a staunch advocate for an internationalist approach to national security and a critic of Trump's more isolationist policies, unavailable, Senate Republicans have fewer votes to spare. Senator Thune has indicated that a path to passing a third bill is not yet clear, with many Senate Republicans preferring to wait for the House to act first.
McConnell's hospitalization has coincided with a significant partisan standoff over defense spending, which has brought the appropriations process to a standstill in the Senate. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins has delayed markups for various departments, including defense, due to disagreements with Democrats over spending levels. An aide for McConnell pointed to the broader appropriations stalemate, rather than his absence, as the primary holdup for the defense bill.
McConnell's absence has also affected other chamber business, including a recent resolution to cut off military operations against Iran, which passed symbolically due to a lack of full Republican attendance.