Congress Votes for Ukraine Aid
On Thursday, a group of eighteen Republicans sided with Democrats to approve additional aid for Ukraine, along with military supplies from the Pentagon, despite leadership within the House advising against it.
The legislation, which passed with a vote of 226 to 195, allocates $8 billion in direct loans and permits the transfer of U.S. weapons to Ukraine from military reserves. Prominent Republican supporters included Mike Lawler from New York, Brian Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania, Glenn Thompson from Ohio, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Joe Wilson from South Carolina, and Carlos Jimenez from Florida.
This bill aims to extend the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative until 2027. It facilitates the direct shipment of weapons from the Defense Department’s stock to Ukraine and enhances regulations on financial institutions engaged with Russian officials and state-run businesses. Moreover, it intensifies efforts against groups attempting to bypass existing sanctions.
Since the conflict erupted in February 2022, U.S. funding and emergency support for Ukraine has reached around $188 billion.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York introduced the measure, which eventually gained enough support to force a vote in the House. Just a day before, House Speaker Mike Johnson advised his fellow Republicans to reject the expulsion petition related to this bill, according to a source familiar with their discussions.
Former President Donald Trump and other Republican figures have consistently urged for an end to the war in Ukraine, labeling U.S. financial support as a misuse of resources. Trump has even called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to cease hostilities, expressing his reluctance for Congress to get involved in negotiations.
Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky criticized the bill, asserting it does not serve the American public’s interests. He had recently lost to Ed Galine in a primary election; Galine is a Republican candidate supported by Trump.
“I just voted tonight against the Ukraine Assistance Act, which sends more than $9 billion of our people overseas, including $250 million to Radio Free Europe, a Cold War relic that benefits no American,” Massie commented.
Meeks initially proposed the legislation in April 2025, but it faced a year-long standstill after the House Foreign Affairs Committee declined to address it. Through a discharge petition submitted in July 2025, Meeks spent nearly a year gathering signatures for a vote.
During the recent vote, several Republicans, including Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler, Don Bacon, Michael McCaul, Joe Wilson, and Max Miller, supported the expulsion petition.
