Here's how local members of Congress voted on aid package
Four of Ohio’s 16 members voted no.
A majority of southwest Ohio’s Congressional delegation voted yes on funding to help Ukraine battle the Russian invasion.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed the $95.3 billion foreign aid bill funding Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other U.S. allies after a drawn out Congressional battle that delayed funding even as Russia made inroads in its war against Ukraine.
The U.S. House of Representatives handled the funding in four separate bills, adding in a bill to force TikTok to be sold or banned. The four were then combined as one in the Senate, which approved the bill 79-18 on Tuesday.
All but four of the 16-member Ohio delegation in the House and Senate approved funding for Ukraine.
U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio and U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana; Warren Davidson, R-Troy; and Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville all voted no. Davidson also opposed funding for Israel and the TikTok ban.
The rest of the Ohio delegation voted for all four bills in the House or the combined bill in the Senate, including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio and local members of Congress: U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton; U.S. Rep. Mike Carey, R-Columbus and U.S. Rep, Greg. Landsman, D-Cincinnati.
The bill includes $60.8 billion to assist Ukraine, with Biden on Wednesday approving a $1 billion shipment to be sent immediately, including air defense capabilities, artillery rounds,
armored vehicles and other weapons, according to the Associated Press. The bill also provides $26.4 billion to Israel, humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza and other conflict zones and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. Some of the Ukraine aid is structured as a loan that can be forgiven by the president starting in 2026.
Ohio manufacturers, including defense contractors in Springboro and Lima, are expected to provide some of the equipment going to Ukraine.
This newspaper asked members of the local delegation about their votes.
“The bipartisan national security package signed into law today is critical to taking on some of the biggest threats facing our country: Iran and its terrorist proxy groups, Vladimir Putin, China, and the drug cartels bringing deadly fentanyl into this country,” said Brown. “This law, which includes my bill to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, is a win for our national security, local law enforcement, and Ohio communities.”
In a House floor speech supporting Ukraine funding, Turner talked about the alliance between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“When people ask why we should support Ukraine, I like to remind them of President Xi of China’s trip to Russia last year,” Turner said. “They stood together and articulated that this is a battle between authoritarianism and democracy, and we must stand for democracy and against authoritarianism.”
Davidson issued a statement on Saturday.
“Today, the uniparty D.C. establishment spent $100 billion securing other countries’ borders but could not spare a cent to secure our own,” Davidson said. “My constituents’ hard-earned tax dollars will fund the Biden administration’s missionless foreign policy agenda. Most troubling is the $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, which we know will fund Hamas terrorists. It is a betrayal to our most important ally, Israel, as well as to the American people.”
Vance talked about his opposition to the funding in a floor speech.
“You hear all the time from folks who support endless funding to Ukraine that unless we send resources to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will march all the way to Berlin or Paris,” Vance said, according to a transcript provided by his office. “Well, first of all, this doesn’t make any sense. Vladimir Putin can’t get to western Ukraine. How is he going to get all the way to Paris? And second of all, if Vladimir Putin is a threat to Germany and France, if he’s a threat to Berlin and Paris, then they should spend more money on military equipment.”
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