by Less than two years ago, House Republicans were so livid about the idea of continuing to aid Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression that they deposed their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy, in part to protest what they said was a “secret side deal” he had made to do so.
Months later, Speaker Mike Johnson risked his own job to push through a funding package for Ukraine,
with the majority of his members voting “no.”
But now, more than three years into the war, many
Republicans in Congress who have railed consistently against sending more money and weapons to Ukraine
and clamored to end American involvement in the war are rushing to shift their stance, following the lead of President Trump.
It is the latest evidence that Mr. Trump, whose “America First” foreign policy approach has upended decades of Republican orthodoxy favoring muscular U.S. intervention in conflicts around the world, holds an iron grip on his party. And now that the president, who once disdained American aid to Ukraine, has pivoted and announced a
new plan to speed weapons to the war-torn country
, some Republicans are contorting themselves to stay aligned with him.
That has involved relative silence from some previously vocal opponents of supporting Ukraine and striking public reversals from some of Mr. Trump’s closest allies, many of whom spent considerable time on Capitol Hill arguing against a policy they once called reckless but now argue is brilliant diplomacy from a master strategist.
Representative Derrick Van Orden, Republican of Wisconsin, last spring savaged the Biden administration for failing to have a plan for further aid to Ukraine, proclaiming, “We must stop entering into endless wars.” On Monday, he endorsed Mr. Trump’s announcement of more help.
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