The House passed bipartisan legislation on Thursday leveling new economic sanctions on Russia and strengthening Ukraine’s defenses despite opposition from Republican leaders.
The measure passed by a vote of 226-195, with 18 Republicans and one independent joining Democrats in support. Coming a day after the House backed a measure to end the war with Iran, the Ukraine vote represented another challenge to President Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach.
Supporters forced the legislation to the floor after securing the 218 signatures required on a discharge petition, a rare procedural maneuver that bypassed House leaders and compelled consideration over their objections. The bill’s advocates framed their backing in moral terms, invoking former President Ronald Reagan’s Cold War defiance of the Soviet Union.