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House Passes Bill to Aid Ukraine 06/05 06:27
The House passed legislation Thursday that would aid Ukraine and sanction
key segments of the Russian economy, overriding objections from Republican
leaders who warned the bill would undermine negotiations designed to achieve a
comparable but stronger result.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House passed legislation Thursday that would aid
Ukraine and sanction key segments of the Russian economy, overriding objections
from Republican leaders who warned the bill would undermine negotiations
designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., seeks to cement
U.S. assistance for Ukraine by providing more than $1 billion in security and
reconstruction aid. It would make another $8 billion available for Ukraine's
defense through loans.
The 226-195 vote is a sign of impatience with President Donald Trump's
approach to the war and represents the House's second major foreign policy
break with Trump this week. The day before, the House, for the first time,
approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting U.S. military action against
Iran.
Supporters were able to force action on the Ukraine bill by gathering 218
signatures on a discharge petition, a legislative tool that allows a majority
of the House to effectively bypass leadership.
Once rarely successful, House members have used the petition tool this
Congress to pass bills on releasing the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein
and to extend health care subsidies to many of those who get health coverage
through the Affordable Care Act, though the latter measure faltered in the
Senate.
Meeks said the question before the House was simple. Would it help Ukraine
negotiate from a position of strength or help Russia outlast American resolve?
"We all want this war to end," Meeks said. "The question is how. Will we
abandon Ukraine and force it into a terrible deal? That is what Vladimir Putin
is counting on. Or will this body live up to the commitments we've made since
the start of this war?"
The vast majority of Republicans opposed the measure. Rep. French Hill, the
chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he is a steadfast
supporter of Ukraine. However, the Arkansas Republican said the House was
confronted with a flawed, outdated measure that actually calls for less funding
for Ukraine security assistance compared to what Congress had agreed to as part
of this year's defense policy. Another section could lead to a decrease in
defense spending by some NATO members, he warned.
Rep. Brian Mast, the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
said he believed the bill was "a cudgel to fight against President Trump."
"This bill, in my opinion, is an unserious bill that was crafted basically a
year-and-a-half ago," Mast, R-Fla., said.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., broke with most of his Republican colleagues in
voicing support for the measure.
"Are we going to stand with good or are we going to stand with evil? That's
what this is about tonight," he said.
In the end, 18 Republicans, 207 Democrats and one independent voted for the
bill. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar joined with 194 Republicans in voting against
it.
Lawmakers want to send a message
Supporters are hopeful that the House's passage of the Ukraine bill would
put pressure on the Senate to do the same. But they also know the Senate likely
won't go along unless Trump endorses the bill.
"It's probably not going to get 60 votes in the Senate, but it's going to
hopefully force the Senate to address the issue," said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick,
R-Pa., who signed the discharge petition and voted for the bill. "It's going to
send a great message to the soldiers of Ukraine."
He said the vote would also send a message to Putin that "we do have a pulse
here, that we do care about Ukraine and that we are going to utilize our
authority to help them."
As the war has dragged on, it's gotten more difficult for supporters of
Ukraine in Congress to provide additional financial support to help Ukraine
defend itself.
The U.S. has approved some $195 billion for the Ukraine response, according
to the latest quarterly inspector general report for Operation Atlantic
Resolve, with roughly a quarter of that going to replenish weapons stockpiles
for the U.S. military. The last major legislation designed to bolster the
Ukraine response occurred in April 2024, though modest amounts have since been
included in annual appropriations bills.
Republican leaders tried to stop the bill
Republican leaders urged their members to oppose the legislation. House
Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said there are good-faith negotiations
between members of Congress and the White House to boost Ukraine. He described
the negotiations as complicated.
"I think they are going to yield positive results, but you set that back if
you pass legislation that doesn't go as far as the negotiations are going,"
Scalise said.
The war that followed Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor is more
than four years old, with no end in sight. In recent days, both sides have
sought an edge by launching long-range missile strikes.
U.S.-led peace efforts have fizzled out as the sides made no progress on key
differences and after the war in Iran grabbed Washington's attention. Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by
Trump, but Putin refused.
Action in the Senate on Ukraine has revolved around a bill that would impose
sweeping tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries that purchase Russia's
oil, gas, uranium and other exports, which are crucial to financing Russia's
military. But the bill has languished.
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