During an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy stated that bipartisan efforts to support Ukraine are being stalled due to the influence of Donald Trump on Senate Republicans.
Murphy expressed skepticism that Congress would successfully pressure the Pentagon to reallocate Patriot missile defense systems to Ukraine. He pointed to a bipartisan sanctions bill that has remained on the Senate floor for 18 months, alongside $400 million in congressional aid for Ukraine that remains unspent.
“Donald Trump does not want to do what is necessary to support Ukraine, and the Republican Party will always follow his lead,” Murphy said. “He’s been sitting on $400 million that Congress allocated to help Ukraine. He hasn’t spent a dime of it, despite protests loudly, publicly and privately, from Senate Republicans.”
The conversation also turned to the upcoming budget hearing for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where the State Department is requesting a $33.6 billion budget. Murphy, who serves on the Appropriations Committee, emphasized that his top priority is resolving the ongoing war in Iran.
According to Murphy, the conflict has resulted in $6-a-gallon gasoline in parts of the United States and has indirectly benefited Russia. He noted that the U.S. suspended sanctions on Russian oil to maintain global market supply, which he argues is actively funding Moscow’s military efforts.
“Russia is getting billions of additional dollars because of our sanctions relief, that’s allowing them to buy some of the missiles that are on the verge of raining down on Kyiv,” Murphy stated. “People are dying because of our help for Russia.”
The interview also touched on domestic politics and Murphy’s new book, Crisis of the Common Good. Addressing recent polling that showed 62% of registered voters view the Democratic Party negatively, Murphy noted that voters believe the entire political system is corrupt. He urged Democrats to focus on removing corporate and billionaire money from politics to rebuild trust.
When questioned about recent revelations concerning the Maine Senate race—specifically that candidate Graham Platner sent sexually explicit text messages to women other than his wife—Murphy acknowledged the behavior but defended Platner’s record of public service.
“Graham Platner is somebody that served our country, he served his community, he’s also made mistakes,” Murphy said. “Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.”
Finally, addressing comments from former First Lady Jill Biden regarding the 2024 presidential debate—where she revealed she initially thought President Joe Biden was having a stroke—Murphy stated that Democrats must be transparent about past errors.
“In retrospect, Joe Biden should have stepped away from that race,” Murphy said, adding that political tribalism often causes both parties to overlook internal mistakes.
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