WASHINGTON — In a rare moment of bipartisanship in the US Congress, the House tonight passed a package of Russian sanctions and military aid for Ukraine, with 18 Republicans voting to move the bill forward despite the Trump administration’s opposition for further funds for Ukraine.
House members voted 226-195 to pass the Ukraine Support Act, which authorizes $8 billion in military finance loans to Ukraine and extends the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2027.
“Today’s bipartisan vote to pass the Ukraine Support Act demonstrates that the House stands with the Ukrainian people and that we will hold the criminal Russian regime accountable for its illegal war,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the sponsor of the bill, in a statement following the vote. “Now the Senate must follow suit, and work with our bipartisan group in the House to deliver the most comprehensive package possible to the President’s desk for his immediate signature.”
Among the House Republicans who voted for the bill were several members of the House Armed Services Committee, including Reps. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, Mike Turner of Ohio, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Carlos Giminez of Florida and Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia.
It also included Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Emeritus Michael McCaul of Texas.
The Ukraine Support Act, which was introduced last year, faced an unusual path to House passage, coming to the floor only once California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an Independent who typically votes with Republicans, became the 218th signature on a discharge petition that forced a vote on the bill. (Bacon and Fitzpatrick had previously also signed the petition.)
“Tonight, the House faced a Churchill vs. Chamberlain moment. Stand on the side of freedom and democracy, or show weakness to an invading thug who wants to restore Russian domination over a free people. Tonight, we chose Churchill,” Bacon said in a statement after the vote.
Fitzpatrick said in a statement that support of Ukraine is “is a matter of American security, allied strength, and moral clarity.”
While bipartisan support for Ukraine in the Senate remains strong, it’s unclear whether Republican leadership will greenlight a vote on the House bill. Senate legislation that would levy new sanctions and tariffs on Russia remains in limbo, the Associated Press reported.
