A small bloc of GOP lawmakers defied their leadership — and President Donald Trump — by forcing the House to soon take up a major bill to deliver US military support to Ukraine while imposing steep sanctions on Russia.
The GOP-led House is now on track to vote in early June on Congress’ first major pro-Ukraine measure of Trump’s second term, in a rebuke of his handling of the conflict there.
With Trump’s foreign policy focus squarely on Iran in recent months, Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine has continued with little US involvement. Trump has made no tangible progress in his vow to quickly end the conflict upon taking office. And in one recent instance, the president aggravated some members of his party by loosening restrictions on Russian oil to lessen the global price impact of the US war in Iran.
The vote on new Russian sanctions, expected shortly after the House’s Memorial Day recess, is likely to be a major headache for Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team in an already difficult political environment where vulnerable lawmakers are eager for the party to address prices at home, rather than weigh in on another global conflict.
It’s not yet clear, however, if GOP leaders will whip against the bill nor whether the White House will attempt to quash the effort, which comes as party leaders are separately attempting to pass a major immigration funding package with little room for error on the floor.
