KEY LARGO, Florida — Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) backed up House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) amid pushback for his suggestion that Ukraine may not receive a “blank check” if Republicans control either chamber next Congress.
Rubio, who repeated he has not heard McCarthy’s remarks and that he backs Ukraine in its war against Russia, contended the United States cannot keep footing a bill of “$60 billion every six months.”
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“Ukrainians have to know no country in the world can afford them,” he told the Washington Examiner Saturday after a campaign stop in Key Largo, Florida.
The U.S. also has to grapple with issues in the Indo-Pacific, according to Rubio.
“I’m 100% supportive of what Ukraine is doing,” he said. “I’m not commenting on what he said, because I didn’t hear what he said, but I don’t think our foreign engagement is ever a blank check to anybody.”
One attendee at the waterfront meet-and-greet hosted by a local restaurant and tiki-themed bar appeared to approve of Rubio’s answer.
“Amen,” she said.
McCarthy had defended his Punchbowl News interview in a separate sit-down with CNBC.
“I think Ukraine is very important,” he told the network this week. “I support making sure that we move forward to defeat Russia in that program. But there should be no blank check on anything. We are $31 trillion in debt.”
McCarthy’s statements have irked some Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who sighed dramatically when asked about the matter on Fox News.
“You know the United States throughout our history has understood that we need to be the leader of the free world,” he said. “That includes being the arsenal of democracy.”
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Cook Political Report updated Rubio’s race against Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) for his Senate seat from “lean” to “likely” Republican this week. FiveThirtyEight is 90% certain Rubio will win, predicting the two-term incumbent will have an 8-percentage-point margin of victory, 53%-45%. They calculate he has an average polling lead of 4 points, while RealClearPolitics finds, on average, he is 6 points ahead.
