10 GOP Senators Flip-Flop to Support Ukraine Aid

Rob Bluey /

Two months ago, a majority of Republicans opposed the $95 billion foreign aid bill when it came to the Senate floor for a vote. Ten of those senators flipped Tuesday.

The measure passed by an overwhelming 79-18 margin, sending the bill to President Joe Biden for his signature.

It wasn’t long ago that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., found himself among the minority of Republican senators who supported the foreign aid bill. In February, there were 22 GOP senators in favor and 26 opposed, while one Republican senator didn’t vote.

It was a different story Tuesday. This time, 31 Republicans supported the bill, 15 Republicans opposed it, and three didn’t vote.

>>> How Much Are You Paying for Ukraine Aid? Economist Crunches the Numbers

The 10 Republicans who flip-flopped were Sens. Katie Britt, Tom Cotton, Steve Daines, Deb Fischer, Lindsey Graham, Cindy Hyde-Smith, James Lankford, Markwayne Mullin, Pete Ricketts, and Tim Scott. (Scott did not cast a vote for final passage, but supported a cloture motion earlier Tuesday and indicated his support in a statement.)

The GOP senators most frequently mentioned as McConnell’s successor as party leader—Sens. John Cornyn and John Thune—voted for the measure. Sen. John Barrasso, who is running for GOP whip, voted against it.

Below is the roll call of how each Republican senator voted. The complete list of senators, including Democrats, is available here.

YEAs (31)

  1. John Boozman, R-Ark.
  2. Katie Britt, R-Ala.
  3. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
  4. Bill Cassidy, R-La.
  5. Susan Collins, R-Maine
  6. John Cornyn, R-Texas
  7. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.
  8. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
  9. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho
  10. Steve Daines, R-Mont.
  11. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa
  12. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.
  13. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
  14. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa
  15. John Hoeven, R-N.D.
  16. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss.
  17. John Kennedy, R-La.
  18. James Lankford, R-Okla.
  19. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
  20. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.
  21. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.
  22. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
  23. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb.
  24. James Risch, R-Idaho
  25. Mitt Romney, R-Utah
  26. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
  27. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska
  28. John Thune, R-S.D.
  29. Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
  30. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.
  31. Todd Young, R-Ind.

NAYs (15)

  1. John Barrasso, R-Wyo.
  2. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.
  3. Mike Braun, R-Ind.
  4. Ted Budd, R-N.C.
  5. Ted Cruz, R-Texas
  6. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn.
  7. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.
  8. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.
  9. Mike Lee, R-Utah
  10. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.
  11. Roger Marshall, R-Kan.
  12. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
  13. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
  14. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
  15. JD Vance, R-Ohio

Not Voting (3)

  1. Rand Paul, R-Ky.
  2. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
  3. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

Prior to the vote, Heritage Action for America announced it would score against the bill, noting that it “recklessly spends Americans tax dollars without a strategy, plan, or end goal.” (Heritage Action is the grassroots arm of The Heritage Foundation, which founded The Daily Signal in 2014.)

“The House-passed bill violates commonsense foreign aid principles that conservatives have supported for months,” Heritage Action Executive Vice President Ryan Walker said. “The legislation exploits the attacks on Israel to send $60 billion more to Ukraine without accountability or strategy—forcing Americans to take on even more debt to finance another country’s war. Conservatives will not relent in our opposition to this irresponsible legislation that puts Americans last.”

Several of the senators who voted against the February bill cited the lack of border security as a reason for their opposition, although its lack of inclusion in the latest iteration didn’t appear to be as much of a factor. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., opted not to include a separate bill addressing the border crisis as part of the foreign aid legislation.

Graham was among those who opposed the February bill. He explained his change of thinking during a floor speech Tuesday.

“I voted no [on the Senate bill earlier this year because] the border security provisions [were] sort of inadequate to the task on parole and a few other things,” Graham said. “My hope was … we could negotiate a stronger border security package [with the House]. That did not happen.”

Scott, the South Carolina Republican who ran for president, focused on the bill’s aid for Israel and his own FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which is included in the wide-ranging legislation. His statement made only a passing reference to Ukraine.

“While far from perfect, I support this national security package because it will help keep Americans and our allies safe,” Scott said. “The effort of Congress to support our allies should be applauded, but President Biden’s foreign policies have been an utter failure.”

Mullin, who flipped from a “no” in February to a “yes” on Tuesday, defended his vote by promoting the billions that will flow to the U.S. defense industry.

Britt echoed a similar point in a statement about Tuesday’s vote.

“This legislation, while imperfect, will make critical strides to reestablish credible American deterrence and move us closer to restoring the peace through strength that President Biden inherited,” Britt said. “Alabama plays a huge role in our national defense, and this legislation will further enhance Alabamians’ contributions to ensuring our warfighters are the best equipped, trained, and resourced in the world.”

Shortly after the cloture motion passed earlier Tuesday, McConnell directed his ire at conservative commentator Tucker Carlson for delaying congressional approval. President Joe Biden had made his original request back in October.

“The demonization of Ukraine began by Tucker Carlson,” McConnell said. “He had enormous audience, which convinced a lot of rank-and-file Republicans that maybe this was a mistake.”

In the House of Representatives, opposition to Ukraine funding has doubled in the course of the past two years. There are now more Republicans in the House opposed to additional Ukraine funding than those who support it.

Even so, the latest Ukraine funding bill was approved Saturday on a 311-112 vote with the unanimous support of Democrats. All 112 lawmakers voting against the bill were Republicans. By comparison, 101 Republicans voted in favor of the bill.

>>> House Republican Opposition to Ukraine Funding Doubles in 2 Years

In addition to the Ukraine funding ($60.84 billion), lawmakers also approved funding for Israel ($26.38 billion) and the Indo-Pacific ($8.12 billion) as well as the 21st Century Peace Through Strength Act, a bill that would impose more sanctions on China, Iran, and Russia. They also adopted a measure requiring TikTok’s parent company to sever ties with the Communist Chinese government or cease operations within the United States.

Following the Senate’s approval, the bill awaits Biden’s signature.

This story was updated after publication to include the roll call vote and Heritage Action’s statement.

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