Ruptly
"The US House of Representatives passed the Ukraine Support Act by a vote of 226-195 on Thursday, authorising eight billion in military financing loans for Ukraine and NATO allies and extending sanctions on Russia. Republican Representative Randy Fine criticised the legislation, arguing it appeared to be 'copied and pasted' from earlier sanctions bills targeting Iran and had little connection to the war in Ukraine. "This bill is not about helping Ukraine. This is not about standing up to Vladimir Putin. This is about engaging in Trump derangement syndrome," Fine exclaimed. He argued that the measure would ultimately do nothing to address the conflict and could instead 'hurt' Kiev. "Some of the sections are outdated and they would harm US national security," Fine added. "102B5 urges all NATO allies to dedicate at least two percent of their GDP to NATO. [...] They agreed to five percent. Why would we pass a bill that says we want you to do two percent?" "We've got NATO allies that ain't so great anymore. I would focus on Spain, for example. Why would we in this room want to pass something where we as a body are saying, no, no, no, you don't have to do five. Two percent would be a-okay," he continued. House Republican leadership initially refused to bring the bill to the floor. However, lawmakers later used a discharge petition - requiring 218 signatures - to force a floor vote without leadership's approval. Democratic Representative Lloyd Doggett defended the legislation, arguing that President Donald Trump was 'too weak' and 'too reckless' to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "As Putin tests the resolve of the civilised world, Trump has shown that he has no resolve. He is too weak to lead and too reckless to be followed. [...] I'm glad to see that we finally get some action," Doggett said. For his part, Representative Don Bacon urged his Republican colleagues to vote in favour of the bill, asserting that that's what former President Ronald Reagan would have done. "He'd be standing up for Ukraine and opposing Russia. This is our Churchill moment, or our Chamberlain moment, and by God, I'm going to choose Churchill, and this House better choose Churchill tonight," Bacon stated. The bill passed 226-195, with 18 Republicans crossing party lines to join Democrats in approving the final measure. The bill must now go to the Senate for approval. If it passes there, it will be sent to the president, where it will either be signed or vetoed. Congress would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override that veto."
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