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Ukraine aid despite GOP
The U.S. House approved legislation to provide aid for Ukraine and impose new sanctions on Russia after House Democrats bypassed GOP leaders, passing the Ukraine Support Act 226-195 with 18 Republicans joining all but one Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar of D-Minn.
“House Republicans break with Trump again to approve Ukraine aid The US House of Representatives has approved legislation to give aid to Ukraine and impose sanctions against Russia, with more than a dozen Republicans defying their leadership to vote in favour of the bill”
BBC reported that the bill would provide more than $1 billion (£745 million) in security and reconstruction aid and authorize $8 billion (£6 billion) in financing loans for Ukraine’s defense operations, while noting it must still pass the Senate and then reach President Donald Trump’s desk.
MS NOW said the measure was led by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who framed the debate as whether members of Congress “stand for our values,” and described the invasion of “a smaller democratic nation by a large authoritarian state” as “as black and white and pure and simple as it gets.”
MS NOW also listed the Republicans who crossed party lines to support final passage, including Reps. Don Bacon, Rob Bresnahan, Mike Carey, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Andrew Garbarino, while House GOP leadership opposed the bill.
BBC added that the House was able to force a vote after Republican supporters signed a discharge petition that allowed a majority to circumvent leadership, coming a day after a symbolic Iran war powers vote succeeded with four Republicans joining Democrats.
Iran war powers rebuke
After House Democrats advanced Ukraine aid, the same week also included a House measure aimed at Iran war powers, following a war powers resolution Wednesday aimed at reining in President Donald Trump’s military authority in Iran.
The New York Times said the House passed a measure directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, and described the 215-208 vote as “a remarkable rebuke of Mr. Trump and his handling of the conflict.”
MS NOW said the Iran war powers resolution came before Thursday’s Ukraine vote, and described the House Democrats’ approach as bypassing GOP leaders again to deliver another rebuke.
The Hill reported that Senate Republicans faced a “vote-a-rama” on immigration funding and that the voting series put senators on the record about Trump’s ballroom funding, a potential $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, and his controversial appointment of mortgage chief Bill Pulte as director of national intelligence.
The New York Times also described how Republicans had jettisoned $1 billion in security funds for Trump’s ballroom and other White House renovations before the Senate vote-a-thon, while Democrats pushed to codify a block on the $1.8 billion fund.
Anti-weaponization fund fight
A central flashpoint in Congress was Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund, with multiple outlets describing efforts to block or codify it as Republicans and Democrats clashed over whether the administration would pursue it.
The Hill said Senate debate began with Chuck Schumer’s amendment to prohibit the Justice Department from establishing a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for MAGA allies, and reported the amendment ultimately failed 49-50 after three GOP incumbents—Susan Collins, Dan Sullivan, and Jon Husted—joined Democrats.
The New York Times reported that the Senate voted on Wednesday to take up a bill to fund Trump’s immigration crackdown stalled in a dispute over the administration’s plan to create a $1.8 billion fund to pay people who said they had been victimized by the federal government.
El Destape described a broader intra-party resistance as republicans in the Senate and the House stepped forward to reject “1.000 millones de dólares en fondos vinculados al salón de baile de la Casa Blanca,” force a withdrawal of Trump’s “fondo de 1.800 millones de dólares para la "lucha contra la militarización"” and block his legislation on internal espionage.
In the same dispute, The New York Times quoted Senator Thom Tillis saying, “The only way you can explain it, is explain that you got rid of it,” while also recounting Trump telling reporters “I love it” and “it’s so important” about the fund.
