House overwhelmingly rejects Greene, Gosar efforts to cut off aid to Ukraine

The House on Thursday rejected a flurry of amendments offered to an appropriations bill from Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to cut off aid to Ukraine, a signal of bipartisan support for Ukraine. 

Gosar and Greene proposed a series of amendments to the State Department, foreign operations and related programs appropriations bill that would have cut off funding to Ukraine amid its war with Russia.

Gosar’s amendments would have prohibited funds for foreign military sales to Ukraine, the bilateral security agreement between the U.S. and Ukraine and the special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery. Greene’s amendment would have cut off all funding for Ukraine. 

Gosar’s amendments failed on a bipartisan basis, with the House voting down the foreign military sales amendment 61-350, the security agreement amendment 76-334 and the economic recovery amendment 109-303. 

Greene’s amendment faced a similar fate with a 70-342 vote.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), chair of the House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, rose in opposition to Gosar’s amendments, calling them a “monumental mistake” that would “potentially embolden our enemies, including Russia.”

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the ranking member of the subcommittee, also rose in opposition, saying the amendments would send “a terrible message.” 

Greene and Gosar are part of a group of Republicans who have opposed funding to Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. 

Former President Trump has spoken critically of U.S. aid to Ukraine, and the subject is likely to be raised at Thursday night’s debate. President Biden and Trump differ significantly in their positions on Ukraine.

The House months ago approved a new aid package for Ukraine, but it did so without the support of a majority of Republicans in that chamber. It is unclear whether aid would be continued by a GOP-controlled Congress working with Trump.

The latest aid package was approved after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) chose to bring the legislation to the floor despite threats from Greene that she would seek to depose him from leadership. Greene later sought to dismiss Johnson as Speaker, but the effort was easily cast aside.

Gosar and Greene both introduced their amendments Wednesday night and spoke on the House floor about the need to “end forever wars.” 

“The United States has spent $600 million in government sales to Ukraine,” Gosar said. “The U.S. should not approve foreign military sales to foreign countries like Ukraine that has arrested priests, raided monastery, suspended opposition parties and consolidated all television platforms into a single state channel.” 

Ukraine is currently under martial law, imposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as part of the nation’s effort to ward off Russia’s invasion of his country. Ukraine arrested an Orthodox Christian leader in April, alleging that he was helping spread Russian propaganda.