- Rep. Matt Gaetz offered an amendment to the annual defense bill to cut off all military aid to Ukraine.
- The measure easily failed — but 70 House Republicans voted for it.
- It offered the clearest sign yet of which lawmakers support ending all aid to the besieged country.
Seventy House Republicans voted in favor of an amendment to the country's annual defense bill that would have cut off all US military aid to Ukraine.
"Notwithstanding any provision of this or any other Act, no federal funds may be made available to provide security assistance to Ukraine," reads the one-sentence amendment, one of the dozens offered by hard-right Republicans that lawmakers voted on over the course of Thursday evening.
The amendment easily failed by a 358-70 margin, with all Democrats and a majority of Republicans opposing the measure.
But the vote count offered the starkest indication yet of where House Republicans stand on sending military aid to the besieged European nation, which has defended itself against a Russian invasion since February 2022 with the help of tens of billions of dollars in US aid.
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, the sponsor of the amendment, acknowledged during the floor debate on the measure earlier on Thursday that the purpose of offering the measure was primarily to put lawmakers on record.
"My amendment is going to lose overwhelmingly when it is put up for a vote," said Gaetz. "But the American people will see who wants to represent them, and who wants to represent Crimea."
Beyond Gaetz, many on the right have argued that it is not in the United States' interest to support Ukraine, saying that lawmakers should focus greater attention on domestic issues. Dozens of Republican lawmakers have voted against aid to Ukraine in the past, and former President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to curtail US involvement in the war.
Even House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, though generally supportive of US assistance to Ukraine, has at times sought to accommodate those in his party who are skeptical, saying he does not support providing a "blank check" to the country.
Democrats, by contrast, have largely stood behind the Biden administration's approach to the war, though the recent decision to send cluster munitions to Ukraine has drawn outcry from some progressive lawmakers.
This story will be updated when a full list of the lawmakers who voted for the amendment becomes available.