The Lone Star state is currently hosting its own battle, with two of its leading Republican figures, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Senator John Cornyn, locked in a heated exchange. Following the Senate's early Tuesday vote to pass a sizable $95 billion foreign aid package, Paxton took to social media platform X, to criticize Cornyn for supporting the measure that largely assists Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. According to Fox San Antonio, Paxton posted, "Unbelievable that John Cornyn would stay up all night to defend other countries borders, but not America."
Cornyn, who was among the 22 Republicans to join Democrats in the 70-29 vote, was quick to retort on X. Sources report that he fired back at Paxton with a reference to Paxton's legal woes. "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," Cornyn posted. The funds allocated in the aid package come after a five-month stalemate over an expansive bill that would have combined foreign aid with border and asylum policy reforms – a deal that collapsed last week. The Senate's decision is indicative of the escalating rift within the Republican Party regarding America's foreign engagement, particularly with Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression, as reported by KHOU.
Paxton continued the joust by labeling Cornyn a "RINO," Republican in name only, and the acrimony spilled over into the public sphere with Paxton's followers joining in the fray with various insults aimed at Cornyn. However, as reported by KHOU, Cornyn received backing for his stance as well, with one group, Republicans Against Trump, thanking the senator for "ignoring the pro-Putin wing of the GOP and doing the right thing."
In a lengthy statement released after the spat, Cornyn detailed his reasons for supporting 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," said Cornyn, in part of the statement obtained by KHOU.
