WASHINGTON, June 4, 2026 — Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., blasted Republican colleagues who crossed the aisle Wednesday to help pass the Ukraine Support Act, calling the vote “unbelievable” and “unreal” after 18 Republicans joined all House Democrats to pass the bill 226-195 — forcing a floor vote through a rarely used discharge petition that bypassed Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republican leadership entirely.
“Unbelievable. 19 Republicans just voted with all Democrats to send more money to Ukraine,” Higgins said on X. “Unreal. Keep you posted. Over.” The official House clerk roll call recorded 18 Republican yes votes — one fewer than Higgins counted.
What the Bill Does
H.R. 2913, the Ukraine Support Act, introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., provides a comprehensive support framework for Ukraine including $8 billion in loans, a 500 percent tariff on Russian imports, sanctions on Russia’s energy sector, and a reconstruction trust fund for Ukraine. It also revives the president’s authority to lend or lease defense articles to Ukraine or Eastern European countries affected by the war through FY2028, and extends through 2027 the Defense Department’s authority to provide security assistance and intelligence support to Ukrainian forces.
The bill additionally requires the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to prioritize support for Ukraine and requires the State Department to take specific actions to build the capacity of the militaries and border forces of Baltic countries — a provision reflecting concern about Russia’s broader ambitions along NATO’s eastern flank. The 500 percent tariff on Russian imports and sanctions on Russia’s energy sector represent some of the most aggressive economic measures Congress has proposed against Moscow since the invasion began.
How the Vote Happened — The Discharge Petition
The bill did not travel through a single committee hearing. Meeks introduced it in April 2025, it was referred to nine House committees and went nowhere, and Johnson never scheduled a vote. Meeks filed a discharge petition in July 2025 and spent the better part of a year collecting the 218 signatures needed to force a floor vote over leadership’s objections.
The petition stalled repeatedly. As of February 2026, it was one signature short. By May 13, it crossed the 218-vote threshold and a motion to discharge was filed. Wednesday’s 226-195 passage made it official — the discharge mechanism, a blunt and rarely successful parliamentary instrument, had worked. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., was among the most vocal Republican crossovers. “70 percent of Americans strongly support Ukraine,” he said after the petition hit 218 votes. “It is time that Congress reflect the will of the people.”
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine — one of the most conservative House Democrats and a frequent holdout on party-line votes — also voted yes, citing Ukraine’s heroic defense against Russian aggression. “If we don’t support our allies when they need us most, then our word means nothing,” Golden said. The bill’s 226-195 margin included 207 Democrats and 18 Republicans in favor, with 194 Republicans and 1 Democrat voting against.
The Ukraine Backdrop
The vote came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared on CBS News’ Face the Nation to warn that anti-ballistic missile production in the United States had fallen into crisis, that Russia was ramping up its internal ballistic missile production, and that he had sent a letter directly to President Trump and Congress requesting urgent action. “60-65 anti-ballistic missiles per month, compared to current challenges, is nothing,” Zelenskyy said. He also revealed that Trump’s peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have never visited Kyiv despite multiple Moscow trips.
Zelenskyy’s warnings landed in Washington the same week Russian drones struck Romanian NATO territory twice — first hitting a residential apartment building in Galați on May 29, injuring two civilians, and then a Ukrainian naval drone lost to Russian electronic warfare jamming detonating in the port of Constanța on June 5. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the incidents evidence that “Russia’s war is increasingly spilling over into EU territory.”
What Comes Next
The bill’s passage through the House is not the end of its road. It still needs to clear the Senate, where the Trump administration’s opposition remains a significant obstacle. A presidential veto is possible. The bill’s nine-committee referral in the House signals how many competing interests it touches, and Senate passage is far from guaranteed.
Still, the vote demonstrated that the coalition backing Ukraine aid has held together despite more than a year of White House pressure to the contrary — and that a bipartisan majority in the House was willing to use extraordinary procedural tools to make it happen.
Higgins and the MAGA Opposition — and the Broader Bipartisan Fractures
Higgins, a Louisiana Republican and consistent ally of President Trump, has opposed Ukraine aid throughout the conflict. His reaction reflected the frustration of the MAGA wing of the party with colleagues who defected. The 194 Republicans who voted no represent the overwhelming majority of the House Republican conference — the 18 who voted yes were a small but decisive minority given the bill’s tight margin.
The same day, several Republican lawmakers also joined Democrats to advance a war powers resolution that would force the Trump administration to end its war against Iran without congressional authorization — a parallel sign of bipartisan friction with the White House’s foreign policy posture on multiple fronts simultaneously. The twin votes on Ukraine and Iran represented one of the most significant single-day breaks with the Trump administration by members of his own party since he returned to office in January 2025.