Opinion: Trump diehards in the House are voting against aid to Ukraine – By Zeeshan Aleem (MSNBC) / April 30, 2022
The “America First” ethos has led a small but vocal minority of Republican lawmakers to reject previously uncontroversial policies.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked a rare moment of broad agreement between Democrats and Republicans on punishing Moscow with sanctions and aiding Ukraine with security assistance.
But within the GOP, a small but vocal minority has bucked this consensus, effectively calling for less internationalism and splintering consensus on the idea of Russia as a geopolitical adversary of the U.S. Their actions illustrate the enduring power of former President Donald Trump’s “America First” ethos, which could spread over time if the nationalist wing of the party continues to grow.
On Thursday, the House passed a bill that would revive a World War II-era measure to allow the Biden administration to more easily lease military equipment to Ukraine, effectively expediting the ability of the U.S. to send security assistance to the country. Only 10 lawmakers voted against it — and they were all Republicans. Among that group are prominent Trump-wing pols like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Matt Gaetz of Florida and Andy Biggs of Arizona.
