GOP Congressional Report Card

Republicans are divided on helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. Most Republicans in Congress have voted to support Ukraine. While some have lost their confidence, most have not. This report card assigns each Republican in the House of Representatives a letter grade from A to F based on their votes on five key provisions relating to helping Ukraine win. The grades also reflect each member’s public statements (or lack thereof) on the war, because leadership requires explaining clearly and consistently why a Ukrainian victory and a Russian defeat is in America’s best interests.

• S. 3522: The Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022: This law, sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, grants the president authority to lend or lease weapons and other defense materiel to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, subject to the usual restrictions, oversight, and processes that govern lend-lease agreements. It passed the Senate by a voice vote and the House by a vote of 417-10.
• H.R. 7691: Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022: This law provided $40.1 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including to various U.S. government agencies to implement sanctions against Russia, for the military to monitor the invasion and to buy new weapons, and to transfer weapons and other support to Ukraine to help it defeat Russia's invasion. It passed the House by a vote of 368-57 and the Senate by a vote of 86-11.
• Amendment 21 to H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act: This amendment, introduced by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, would have stricken $300 million of assistance for Ukraine from the National Defense Authorization Act. It failed by a vote of 39-341.
• Amendment 22 to H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act: This amendment, introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz, would have prohibited all security assistance for Ukraine. It failed by a vote of 70-358.
• Amendment 25 to H.R. 2670, the National Defense Authorization Act: This amendment, introduced by Rep. Andrew Ogles, would remove the extension of lend-lease authority to Ukraine. It failed by a vote of 71-360.
• H.R. 4365: Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2024: This bill would fund the Department of Defense for the federal fiscal year 2024, including $300 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Votes on the rule governing the bill are graded as a proxy for a vote on the bill itself. On the latest vote (Roll Call 403), the rule failed by a vote of 212-216.
• Public Statements About Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: When Russia first launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, support for Ukraine was almost universal in the United States. Large majorities of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, wanted to help Ukraine defend itself, defend NATO, and destroy the Russian military. Since then, some Republicans' support for Ukraine has waned. They have become bored, discouraged, or confused about what the stakes of the war are and which side the good guys are on. Explaining to Republicans and all Americans why supporting Ukraine until victory is in America's interests is an important job for all of our elected leaders, especially Republicans in Congress.