WASHINGTON — The House will have to take up a major security package for war-torn Ukraine after enough Republicans joined Democrats to give the needed 218 signatures to force a vote.
A vote is likely to come in the next few weeks on the package that would marshal $1.3 billion in security aid to Ukraine and allow the war-torn country to get up to $8 billion in additional loan support.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the bill in the House last year, where it sat for months. It would also slap tighter sanctions on Russia and replenish the US weapons stockpile.
Right now, the measure is not widely expected to become law due to likely opposition from President Trump and uncertainty about whether the Senate would even take it up.
Trump has long railed against US direct aid to Ukraine under the Biden administration and has instead favored the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, where Europe has to foot the bill for weapons sent.
The breakthrough in the House on Wednesday came after Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.), who caucuses with Republicans, decided to back a discharge petition on Meeks’ Ukraine aid bill.
Discharge petitions bypass leadership and the committee process to force a vote on legislation. This marks a historic sixth successful discharge petition during this session of Congress.
They were once widely seen as a long-shot legislative tool, but the threadbare margin in the House has allowed lawmakers to take advantage of them.
Prior successful discharge petitions this session include the Epstein Files Transparency Act, an extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, and a proxy vote measure.
Kiley was joined by all House Democrats as well as Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), both of whom have been outspoken supporters of Ukraine.
The breakthrough comes as Ukraine has made significant gains on the battlefield against Russia over the past couple of weeks. Just last month, the European Union green-lit a $106-billion loan package to give Kyiv an economic and military boost.
“Recent Ukrainian gains have created an opportunity for peace, but the collapse of the recent ceasefire shows that leverage is needed for diplomacy to succeed,” Kiley argued in a statement.
“Congress can act now, in a bipartisan way, to strengthen that leverage and advance a durable peace that protects the interests of the United States and our allies.”
Trump has continued to voice confidence that the war in Ukraine is nearing its end. In the Senate, lawmakers are sitting on a massive bipartisan sanctions package against Russia, waiting for Trump to give the go-ahead.
“The end of the war in Ukraine, I really think it’s getting very close,” Trump told reporters Tuesday before departing for Beijing.
