More than a dozen Republican lawmakers defied their own leadership — and President Donald Trump — by voting with Democrats to pass a major bill that allocates billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine and imposes tough sanctions on Russia.
The House of Representatives approved the package by 226 votes to 195. The measure tightens restrictions against Russia with new sanctions on the oil and gas sectors and represents the first major pro-Ukraine initiative during Trump’s second term.
The president of the House, Republican Mike Johnson, instructed the party to vote against the project in a closed-door meeting. According to a person who was present at the meeting, he argued that it was necessary to give Trump space to negotiate with Russia.
However, 18 Republicans and one independent representative who usually votes with the Republicans supported the proposal. The result was interpreted as a rebuke of Trump’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine. Lawmakers sought to send a message to the party leadership, which in recent years has gradually moved away from the staunch support it once showed for Kiev.
The Republican Party is currently divided on the issue, with many members advocating that the United States no longer send aid to the war-torn country.
For the project to even reach the plenary, a rebellion against the Republican leadership of the Chamber was necessary. Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, an independent who often votes with Republicans, provided the final signature for a discharge petition — a parliamentary mechanism used to bypass leadership and force a vote on proposals.
Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican and co-chair of the Ukraine Caucus in Congress, worked for months with Democrat Greg Meeks of New York to gather the necessary 218 signatures and bring the bill directly to the floor without Johnson’s approval.
The proposal includes strict sanctions against Russian leaders and institutions, including large banks and companies in the oil and mining sectors. It also provides for 500% tariffs on all Russian products imported into the United States and a ban on the import of Russian crude oil.
In addition, the text expands military support for Ukraine, authorizing US$8 billion in arms sales and extending a military lend-lease program created during the Biden administration.
With Trump’s foreign policy focused primarily on Iran in recent months, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has intensified further, with little participation from the United States.
Trump made no concrete progress in his career after taking office in January 2025.
In a recent episode, Trump even angered some members of his party by trying to reduce the impacts of the war with Iran on global energy prices. At the same time, many Republicans in the House prefer the party to focus its efforts on combating the rising cost of living in the United States, rather than getting involved in yet another international conflict.
Republican and Democratic sources predicted the bill would pass the House, but said its fate in the Senate was still uncertain. While some House Republicans have been strong supporters of Ukraine in the past, it is unclear whether there will be enough support to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the proposal.
If the bill is considered and approved by the Senate, it will be the first major Congressional initiative related to the war between Ukraine and Russia since the controversial supplemental funding law approved in the spring of 2024, when Joe Biden was still president.
In recent years, congressional leaders have agreed to send American aid to Ukraine through several defense packages, although those measures have faced resistance from the White House.
