06/06/2026
WOW: House Passes Ukraine Aid Over GOP Leaders' Objections as 18 Republicans Break With Trump
Eighteen House Republicans crossed party lines Thursday to join Democrats in passing a $1.3 billion military assistance package for Ukraine along with expanded sanctions on Russia, delivering a sharp rebuke to President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson in a 226-195 vote.
The bill marks the first time a standalone Ukraine aid package has cleared either chamber during Trump's second term, and it happened entirely over the objections of Republican leadership. Johnson had personally lobbied members behind closed doors to oppose the measure, calling it "poorly drafted" after the vote.
The legislation was forced to the floor through a discharge petition, a procedural maneuver that allowed a bipartisan majority of 218 lawmakers to bypass Johnson's ability to block the bill. The petition was led by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks of New York, who had been building toward this moment for nearly a year.
Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, one of the Republicans who helped force the vote, framed the moment in stark historical terms on the House floor. "This is our Churchill moment or our Chamberlain moment," Bacon said, "and by God I'm going to choose Churchill."
Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado, another Republican who backed the final bill, said the legislation's core goals were squarely in the American national interest. "We need to stand with Ukraine against Russian aggression," Hurd said. "Putin is a dictator. What they're doing is wrong."
The vote came as Congress has grown increasingly restless with the administration's handling of foreign policy. The House voted Wednesday to halt the Iran conflict, the first time House Republicans broke with Trump on military authority. The House Armed Services Committee was also expected Thursday to advance legislation limiting reductions of U.S. troops in Europe.
The bill now faces steep odds in the Senate, where efforts to advance a companion Russia sanctions package have stalled despite more than 80 senators signing on as cosponsors.