The House voted 226-195 Wednesday to approve a sweeping Ukraine aid and Russia sanctions package, with 18 Republicans and one independent breaking from Speaker Mike Johnson and President Donald Trump to pass the chamber’s first major pro-Ukraine measure of Trump’s second term, according to CNN.
The bill authorizes $8 billion in arms sales to Ukraine, extends a Biden-era military lend-lease program, imposes 500% tariffs on all Russian goods imported to the United States, and bans Russian crude oil imports. It also sanctions Russian leaders, top banks, oil companies, and mining firms.
Johnson had urged members to oppose the bill, arguing in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that they should give Trump room to negotiate with Russia, according to a person in the room. The measure only reached the floor at all through a discharge petition, a procedural tool that bypasses leadership.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a GOP centrist and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, spent months collecting the 218 signatures needed alongside Rep. Greg Meeks, a Democrat from New York. California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who frequently votes with Republicans, provided the final signature.
The bill’s fate in the Senate is uncertain, according to multiple GOP and Democratic sources, with it unclear whether supporters can reach the 60-vote threshold needed to advance.
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