18 House Republicans defy Trump to pass Ukraine aid package headed for veto fight

House Passes Ukraine Security Package in Bipartisan Vote That Draws White House Veto Threat

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved a sweeping security package that would deliver billions of dollars in new military assistance to Ukraine and impose fresh sanctions on Russia, passing the measure in a 226-195 vote that crossed party lines and put the Republican-led chamber at odds with President Donald Trump.

Eighteen Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in supporting the legislation, which had been authored by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and stalled in the House Foreign Affairs Committee for more than a year after its introduction in early 2025. California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, also voted in favor. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was the only Democrat to oppose the bill.

The package would authorize more than $1.5 billion in new security assistance for Ukraine, along with $8 billion in direct loans, and would extend a Pentagon program that procures weapons and military equipment for Kyiv. It also directs new sanctions aimed at cutting into the Kremlin's energy profits, a key source of funding for Russia's war effort, and targets organizations and companies that do business with sanctioned Russian entities. The bill includes language reaffirming U.S. support for both Ukraine and NATO.

The vote came as Ukraine faces a surge in Russian missile and drone strikes, with the conflict now entering its fifth year. Proponents argued the aid is urgently needed because diplomatic efforts to end the war have stalled.

"This is our Churchill moment or our Chamberlain moment," said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., who is not seeking reelection. "By God, I want to choose Churchill, and this House better choose Churchill."

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., framed his support for the bill as consistent with the president's own record. "President Trump has been the leader to support the people of Ukraine, and so I'll be voting for the people of Ukraine, continuing the Trump tradition of support," Wilson said. He added, "Putin needs to know that the American people stand with the brave and courageous people of Ukraine."

The legislation advanced to the floor through a discharge petition signed by a handful of Republicans who broke with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Such procedural maneuvers are typically viewed with suspicion within the GOP conference because they bypass leadership and allow the minority party to force a vote. The move reflected broader friction within the House Republican caucus, where a small group of members has repeatedly defied leadership on high-profile votes.

Democrats were open about their strategy of leveraging the narrow Republican majority to advance their priorities.

"Democrats have repeatedly governed in the minority as if we were in the majority, and we're going to do so again this week," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.

The White House responded forcefully, saying the president would veto the measure if it reached his desk. In a statement, the administration argued that the bill would undermine Trump's effort to negotiate an end to the war.

"The bill seeks to tie the President's hands by mandating a wide-ranging U.S. response to the Russia-Ukraine war while adding hundreds of millions in unfunded authorizations," the statement said. The White House also warned that the legislation's mandatory sanctions provisions would "plunge the global economy into chaos."

Republican opponents argued that the bill was either poorly timed or poorly constructed, rather than a reflection of their views on Ukraine.

"This bill is not about helping Ukraine. This is not about standing up to Vladimir Putin," said Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla. "This is about engaging in Trump Derangement Syndrome as President Trump tries to bring this [conflict] in for a landing."

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., was more direct. "I oppose further funding of Ukraine," he said.

Several GOP critics pointed to specific provisions they said made the bill outdated. The measure calls on NATO member countries to raise their defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product, a benchmark Trump pushed allies well past when he secured a commitment to reach 5% in 2025.

"This bill literally moves us backwards, and a decrease of NATO defense member spending would be the result," said Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa.

The legislation also proposes a lower figure for training and equipping Ukraine's military than Congress authorized in last year's annual defense policy bill, a point raised by members who said the package did not match the scale of the current challenge.

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, argued during floor debate that the war's end will come through negotiation and that the bill could complicate those talks. "It's increasingly obvious that this [war] will end, and when it ends, it will be through negotiation," Self said. "If you support this bill, then clearly you are not interested in peace, because the consequences would tie the hands of this president and could lead to future hostilities that would bleed over into Europe."

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uphill path. Even if the chamber were to approve it, the White House has signaled the president would reject the measure, setting up a potential confrontation between Congress and the administration over the future of U.S. involvement in the war.