Just 28% of GOP voters want more aid to Ukraine. McConnell reads that as "number one priority" 🤡 t.co/QMzpDzJoBM
— Peter St Onge, Ph.D. (@profstonge) September 28, 2023
Most House Republicans vote to uphold Ukraine aid
A majority of House Republicans rejected a series of efforts to cut back on funding for Ukraine on Wednesday, voting down a trio of amendments to a Pentagon appropriations bill that would have curtailed Washington’s financial support for Kyiv.
The votes came more than two months after more than half of the House GOP conference voted down two similar amendments to the annual defense authorization bill. Wednesday’s votes, however, come as Congress is racing the clock to fund the government ahead of a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline.
Funding for Ukraine has emerged as a central part of conversations over government funding. The Senate advanced a bipartisan continuing resolution Tuesday that includes $6.15 billion in Ukraine aid, which House Republicans have lined up against in part because of the money for Kyiv.
The first amendment, introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), would have decreased funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative by $300 million, the full amount included in the spending bill.
The House voted it down in a 330-104 vote, with all support coming from Republicans. A total of 117 GOP lawmakers voted against the amendment. An amendment to strike the $300 million in Ukraine funding from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) failed in an 341-89 vote in July.
That provision had been a source of controversy within the House GOP conference this month.