House passes bill to aid Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia
[June 05, 2026]
By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed legislation Thursday that would aid
Ukraine and sanction key segments of the Russian economy, overriding
objections from Republican leaders who warned the bill would undermine
negotiations designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result.
The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., seeks to
cement U.S. assistance for Ukraine by providing more than $1 billion in
security and reconstruction aid. It would make another $8 billion
available for Ukraine's defense through loans.
The 226-195 vote is a sign of impatience with President Donald Trump's
approach to the war and represents the House's second major foreign
policy break with Trump this week. The day before, the House, for the
first time, approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting U.S.
military action against Iran.
Supporters were able to force action on the Ukraine bill by gathering
218 signatures on a discharge petition, a legislative tool that allows a
majority of the House to effectively bypass leadership.
Once rarely successful, House members have used the petition tool this
Congress to pass bills on releasing the government's files on Jeffrey
Epstein and to extend health care subsidies to many of those who get
health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, though the latter
measure faltered in the Senate.
Meeks said the question before the House was simple. Would it help
Ukraine negotiate from a position of strength or help Russia outlast
American resolve?
“We all want this war to end,” Meeks said. “The question is how. Will we
abandon Ukraine and force it into a terrible deal? That is what Vladimir
Putin is counting on. Or will this body live up to the commitments we've
made since the start of this war?”
The vast majority of Republicans opposed the measure. Rep. French Hill,
the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he is a
steadfast supporter of Ukraine. However, the Arkansas Republican said
the House was confronted with a flawed, outdated measure that actually
calls for less funding for Ukraine security assistance compared to what
Congress had agreed to as part of this year's defense policy. Another
section could lead to a decrease in defense spending by some NATO
members, he warned.
Rep. Brian Mast, the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,
said he believed the bill was “a cudgel to fight against President
Trump.”
“This bill, in my opinion, is an unserious bill that was crafted
basically a year-and-a-half ago,” Mast, R-Fla., said.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., broke with most of his Republican colleagues in
voicing support for the measure.
“Are we going to stand with good or are we going to stand with evil?
That’s what this is about tonight,” he said.
In the end, 18 Republicans, 207 Democrats and one independent voted for
the bill. Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar joined with 194 Republicans in
voting against it.
Lawmakers want to send a message
Supporters are hopeful that the House's passage of the Ukraine bill
would put pressure on the Senate to do the same. But they also know the
Senate likely won’t go along unless Trump endorses the bill.
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The U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, June 3, 2026, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Allison Robbert)
“It's probably not going to get 60 votes in the Senate, but it's
going to hopefully force the Senate to address the issue," said Rep.
Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., who signed the discharge petition and
voted for the bill. “It's going to send a great message to the
soldiers of Ukraine.”
He said the vote would also send a message to Putin that “we do have
a pulse here, that we do care about Ukraine and that we are going to
utilize our authority to help them.”
As the war has dragged on, it's gotten more difficult for supporters
of Ukraine in Congress to provide additional financial support to
help Ukraine defend itself.
The U.S. has approved some $195 billion for the Ukraine response,
according to the latest quarterly inspector general report for
Operation Atlantic Resolve, with roughly a quarter of that going to
replenish weapons stockpiles for the U.S. military. The last major
legislation designed to bolster the Ukraine response occurred in
April 2024, though modest amounts have since been included in annual
appropriations bills.
Republican leaders tried to stop the bill
Republican leaders urged their members to oppose the legislation.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said there are
good-faith negotiations between members of Congress and the White
House to boost Ukraine. He described the negotiations as
complicated.
“I think they are going to yield positive results, but you set that
back if you pass legislation that doesn't go as far as the
negotiations are going,” Scalise said.
The war that followed Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor
is more than four years old, with no end in sight. In recent days,
both sides have sought an edge by launching long-range missile
strikes.
U.S.-led peace efforts have fizzled out as the sides made no
progress on key differences and after the war in Iran grabbed
Washington’s attention. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by Trump, but Putin
refused.
Action in the Senate on Ukraine has revolved around a bill that
would impose sweeping tariffs and secondary sanctions on countries
that purchase Russia’s oil, gas, uranium and other exports, which
are crucial to financing Russia’s military. But the bill has
languished.
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Associated Press congressional correspondent Lisa Mascaro
contributed to this report.
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