The GOP chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee voiced his concern Monday over the number of Republican votes against assistance for Ukraine during a marathon defense spending debate last week.
In the vote Thursday, 70 Republicans were in favor of an amendment from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to a defense policy bill, which would have prohibited all future security assistance to Ukraine.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) called the votes “very disturbing” during a Monday interview on Washington Post Live with reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell.
“I am going to be honest with you, yes, I am very worried,” McCaul said when asked about the Ukraine vote.
“I personally thought it was irresponsible; I disagree with it,” McCaul added. “But every member is entitled to their own opinion.”
Along with Gaetz’s proposal, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced an amendment that cut $300 million of funding for Ukraine. Greene’s proposal garnered support from 89 House Republicans.
McCaul said he “can’t think of a worse message to send to Putin” during a crucial point at the war, with Ukraine in the midst of a counteroffensive aiming to claw back Russian occupied areas.
“If they are not successful in a counteroffensive, I think that’s going to greatly damage the morale of not only the Ukrainians but the will of the American people to support this fight,” McCaul said.
Although the war has now dragged on for nearly 18 months, support for Ukraine remains fairly strong among the U.S. public.
According to a recent survey from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, 76 percent of Americans say Ukrainian victory is important to the U.S. and 59 support military aid to the country.
But the survey also showed a significant gap between Republicans and Democrats. Only half of Republican participants said they support military aid for the country, which is significantly lower than the 75 percent of Democrat participants who said the same.
Even though about a third of the GOP House caucus supported Gaetz’s proposal, McCaul said he was encouraged by the majority of his party who did not vote for the amendment.
“The majority of Republicans still voted to support Ukraine, and that’s very significant I think,” McCaul said to Caldwell.