Three House GOP deputies voted against a resolution in support of Ukraine Vladimir PutinRussia’s invasion on Wednesday because they believe the southern border of the United States must first be “secure.”
The bill, HR 956 or otherwise known as “Support for the People of Ukraine”, was adopted by an overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives with 426 votes in favor and 3 against.
Only Thomas Massey of Kentucky, Paul Gossar of Arizona and Matt Rosendale of Montana voted against.
All three conservatives are critical of American intervention abroad and are among the countless right-wing voices demanding a president Joe Biden do more to stop the record flow of migrants coming to the southwestern border.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue a constant campaign of shelling and air strikes against Ukrainian cities. At least 2,000 civilians have been reported killed in the conflict as allegations increase that Moscow is targeting civilians and using illegal weapons.
Wednesday’s non-binding resolution expressing solidarity with Ukraine “calls for an immediate ceasefire and full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory”, including the disputed Crimea and Donbas regions, voiced support for continued sanctions against Moscow and stressed the need for US energy independence.
General view of the damage after the shelling of buildings in the center of Kharkov, Ukraine, on March 3
Building engulfed in flames after shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, about a week after Vladimir Putin personally ordered his troops to invade
The House of Representatives resolution reaffirming US support for Ukraine was adopted by 426 votes to 3 on Wednesday
HR 956 also calls on the federal government to provide Ukraine with additional humanitarian aid, “immediate defense security assistance” and congratulates the European allies on the support they have provided so far.
Republican Adam Kensinger of Illinois, who is retiring later this year after working with Democrats to investigate Donald Trump and his Republican allies over last year’s Capitol uprising, called the three votes against and called their absence a support ‘unreal’.
Gosar replied on Twitter: “Talk to me when our border is secure.”
He later followed suit, urging Congress to “give priority” to the United States.
“Congress takes an oath to defend the US Constitution, not Ukraine, NATO, globalist initiatives or anything else. AZ, the United States is the front line of democracy, “an Arizona dentist who became an MP wrote on Twitter late Wednesday night.
“Congress must give priority to the strong national defense of our republic and exercise constitutional restraint.”
Gossar was relieved of his duties on the committee late last year after posting an animated video showing New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being cut with a sword and then attacking the president.
Gossar responded to fellow Republican Adam Kinzinger when he called on the trio to vote against the bill on Ukraine
He followed suit, saying Congress had a duty to protect the United States, not Ukraine
Massi posted a long topic on Twitter on Wednesday to explain why he voted against the measure, although he “fully supports the right of the people of Ukraine to self-determination.”
“The resolution contains an open call for additional and immediate ‘defense security assistance’. “This term is so broad that it could include American boots on the ground or, as some of my colleagues have already called for, the US imposition of a no-fly zone.”
Biden rules out US troops in Ukraine may face Russian invaders repeatedly, most recently Tuesday night
Massi said the House of Representatives bill expands the geographic scope of the US commitment to the conflict in Ukraine, condemning Belarus “and the US” should not seek to name new enemies or commit to overthrow other governments. “
However, this comes after the president has already ordered a number of sanctions against Belarusian legal entities and individuals for the efforts of the leader of the strong leader Alexander Lukashenko to help Putin.
He added that sanctions against Russia would “harm low-income US citizens who are already rocked by inflation” and “will also make Putin more desperate, urging him to resort to drastic measures such as escalating weapons or targeted people. “
Massi posted a long topic on Twitter, explaining that he had voted against the bill for fears that the United States could get embroiled in a protracted conflict with another nuclear power, Russia.
Massi said he had rejected the resolution because it could mean that the United States “will forever be actively involved in a conflict with another nuclear country.”
Earlier this week, he and two other Republicans in the House of Representatives also voted on the minority side when they opposed a lynching bill named after Emmett Till.
Last month, as Putin amassed troops along Ukraine’s borders, Montana Republican Rosendale unveiled a bill called “America’s First Protected Borders Act.”
He will ban all federal funding for Kyiv until the US border with Mexico is at the level of “operational control”, including the full construction of Trump’s border wall.
Earlier this week, he advertised the law on Twitter, writing: “The American people are sick and tired of career politicians who constantly put the interests of foreign nations above ours, we must put America first.”
After Putin ordered his forces to attack Ukraine late last month, Rosendale issued a statement saying the United States had no “legal or moral obligation to come to the aid of either country.”
Rosendale said earlier this month that the United States should put American interests first, although bipartisan lawmakers have urged Biden to do more to help Ukraine during Russia’s attack.
General view of the damage after the shelling of buildings in the center of Kharkov, Ukraine, on March 3
“In conversations with people from all over Montana, they are much more concerned about stopping the invasion of millions of illegal aliens in our country than about invading an Eastern European country in the middle of the world,” he said in a February 24 statement. .
Following Putin’s attack on a sovereign nation, the United States and its Western allies have imposed a series of sanctions aimed at crippling Russia’s economy and military, as well as the Kremlin’s elite, including the Russian president himself.
This is in addition to billions of dollars in military and humanitarian aid, and it is more likely to work as the United States and Europe continue to coordinate with democratically elected officials in Ukraine.
During a speech on the state of the union, Biden announced that he would join the European Union and Canada in closing the airspace to Russian aircraft.
And on Wednesday, the international community took another step to condemn Putin when 141 UN member states voted in favor of a resolution calling for Putin to withdraw his troops from Ukraine immediately.
Only Russia, Syria, Belarus, Eritrea and North Korea voted against.