WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 24: Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) speaks at a press conference with other members of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus on the third anniversary of Russia – Ukraine war, in Washington, DC on February 24, 2025. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Last month, a House of Representatives discharge petition on U.S. aid to Ukraine reached the 218-signature threshold to force a vote on the House floor. The discharge petition was signed by 215 Democrats, two Republicans, and one Independent. With the threshold met, Reuters has reported that a House vote on Ukraine aid is expected to be held in early June.
Known as the Ukraine Support Act, the proposed bill includes measures to help rebuild Ukraine. It also seeks to authorize $1.3 billion in defense aid to Ukraine, as well as $8 billion in direct loans. Additionally, the legislation proposes new sanctions against the Russian Federation.
For the Ukraine Support Act to pass in the House of Representatives, it would need a simple majority of members (218 out of 435 voting members) to vote in favor of it. Should the bill pass the House, it would then require 60 senators to advance in the Senate.
The bill, however, faces opposition. First, there is U.S. President Donald Trump. During the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign, Trump told voters that he believed U.S. aid to Ukraine was too expensive, adding that the United States had provided too much aid to Ukraine. He also claimed that, should he be elected as the next president of the United States, he would end the war within 24 hours. Since his re-election, Trump has slowed assistance to Ukraine. In a report published in February, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy found that U.S. defense aid to Ukraine fell by 99% in 2025. Additionally, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on April 30, senior officials from the Trump Administration stated that they had excluded funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative from the 2027 defense budget request. Given these developments, Trump and his administration would be unlikely to support the Ukraine Support Act in the House.
Vice President JD Vance has also opposed aid to Ukraine. While serving as a senator from Ohio, Vance argued in May 2024 that it was not in America’s interest to continue sending aid to Ukraine. Then, while speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Georgia in April, Vance shared that his proudest moment while serving as vice president in the Trump Administration was the U.S. stopping aid to Ukraine. Based on these statements, it is unlikely that Vance will support a House vote on the Ukraine Support Act.
Finally, there are Republican members in the House and Senate who oppose additional aid to Ukraine. According to Reuters, support for Ukraine among some of Trump’s closest Republican allies has cooled, meaning they will be unlikely to support the upcoming vote on Ukraine aid. For example, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who sets the agenda in the House chamber, has not held a vote on future U.S. aid to Ukraine since 2024. As a result, a discharge petition was introduced to force a vote on the topic.
Despite this opposition, supporters of Ukraine in the House believe that they will be able to pass the Ukraine Support Act. Following the 218-signature threshold for the discharge petition on Ukraine aid, Representatives Gregory W. Meeks, Steny H. Hoyer, Brian Fitzpatrick, Marcy Kaptur, Bill Keating, Don Bacon, and Kevin Kiley issued a bipartisan joint statement in May ahead of the vote in June.
“The Ukraine Support Act will soon come to the House Floor for a vote,” the statement read. “We are glad the House will finally be moving forward with robust legislation to support the people of Ukraine as they fight to defend their nation and its sovereignty. Few have demonstrated as much courage and perseverance in our modern history as the people of Ukraine. In their battle for democracy, self-determination, and the preservation of their territorial integrity, they deserve our help and our material support. The Ukraine Support Act can deliver that assistance, as well as impose additional sanctions on Russia to hold it accountable for its brutal war. We look forward to seeing the House pass this bill quickly and encourage the Senate to take it up without delay. The brave men and women of Ukraine are waiting.”
As the House prepares to vote on future U.S. aid to Ukraine, the urgency of the moment is underscored by developments on the ground in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on May 27 that he had written a letter to Trump and members of Congress requesting additional defense assistance, noting that Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on civilian areas and that anti-ballistic missiles are needed to protect Ukrainian civilians.
The House vote on future U.S. aid to Ukraine will serve as a pivotal moment in the Russia-Ukraine War. Should Ukraine receive the assistance it needs, this will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to protect Ukrainian civilians from current and future Russian attacks. Additionally, new sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation would further constrict the Russian economy, making it difficult for Russia to continue financing the war in Ukraine. But if the House and Senate fail to pass new aid to Ukraine, Ukraine’s weapons and ammunition stockpiles could run low, allowing Russia to gain ground.
Policymakers and Ukraine’s supporters will be anxious to see how Congress votes on new assistance to Ukraine in June. The outcome of the vote will impact the future of the Russia-Ukraine War.