GOP centrists defy Trump and force future House vote on major Russian sanctions bill

By Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — A small bloc of GOP lawmakers defied their leadership — and President Donald Trump — by forcing the House to soon take up a major bill to deliver US military support to Ukraine while imposing steep sanctions on Russia.

The GOP-led House is now on track to vote in early June on Congress’ first major pro-Ukraine measure of Trump’s second term, in a rebuke of his handling of the conflict there.

With Trump’s foreign policy focus squarely on Iran in recent months, Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine has continued with little US involvement. Trump has made no tangible progress in his vow to quickly end the conflict upon taking office. And in one recent instance, the president aggravated some members of his party by loosening restrictions on Russian oil to lessen the global price impact of the US war in Iran.

The vote on new Russian sanctions, expected shortly after the House’s Memorial Day recess, is likely to be a major headache for Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team in an already difficult political environment where vulnerable lawmakers are eager for the party to address prices at home, rather than weigh in on another global conflict.

It’s not yet clear, however, if GOP leaders will whip against the bill nor whether the White House will attempt to quash the effort, which comes as party leaders are separately attempting to pass a major immigration funding package with little room for error on the floor.

Multiple GOP and Democratic sources predicted the Ukraine bill would pass in the House, but added its fate is uncertain in the Senate. (Several Republicans there have been vocal Ukraine supporters in the past, but it’s not clear if there are enough senators to reach the critical 60-vote threshold.) If Congress does pass the measure, it would stand as lawmakers’ first big move on the Russia-Ukraine war since a contentious supplemental funding bill dating to Joe Biden’s presidency.

But even if the bill fails, GOP supporters say it would send a powerful message to Trump and their party leaders.

California Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who frequently votes with the GOP, was the final signature needed on a discharge petition — a procedural tool used to circumvent leadership – to force the vote. He signed on after an intense lobbying effort by his colleagues.

“I’ve been looking at it for quite a while now. I’ve had lots of conversations with folks here, folks in my district and I think the time is right now, given the recent gains you’ve seen by Ukraine, the weakening of Russia’s position – but then also the fact that the ceasefire fell apart and we have renewed hostilities,” Kiley said Wednesday afternoon.

“For diplomacy to work here, we need additional leverage. Congress has the ability to provide that leverage, and this is the way,” he continued.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a GOP centrist and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, spent months working with Rep. Greg Meeks, a Democrat from New York, to land the necessary 218 signatures to fast-track the bill to the floor without Johnson’s approval.

“A message to our Ukrainian friends: Help is on the way,” Fitzpatrick told CNN on Wednesday, just after Kiley formally signed on.

The measure includes strict sanctions on Russian leaders and institutions, including top banks, oil and mining companies. It also includes 500% tariffs on all Russian goods imported to the US and a ban on imported Russian crude oil.

There’s also new military support for Ukraine, including authorizing $8 billion for arms sales, and an extension of the Biden-era military lend-lease program.

Top lawmakers have agreed to send some US aid to Ukraine in various defense packages, but not without resistance from the White House.

One senior Republican — Sen. Mitch McConnell — published an op-ed last month accusing Pentagon officials of “withholding” funds from Ukraine over the wishes of Congress. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has since said the $400 million has been released.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.