Nebraska’s Bacon helping get ‘Ukraine Support Act’ to full House vote by early June

LINCOLN — While congressional support for Ukraine has stalled in recent months, one Nebraska congressman is helping force a vote on additional Ukrainian aid and Russian sanctions.

Retiring U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., is one of just two Republicans to sign on to a “discharge petition” for the “Ukraine Support Act” — an additional $1.3 billion for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, with additional sanctions on the country that invaded Ukraine in February 2022. 

“I think it’s way overdue,” Bacon said Monday.

Bacon, who signed on in September, joined all 215 Democratic members, as well as U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania. U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley, a former Republican now-independent from California, gave the measure its 218th signature last week to force a floor vote.

Bacon expects that vote to come in the first week of June. He and Fitzpatrick lobbied their Republican colleagues for additional signatures. Bacon has represented Nebraska’s politically divided, Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District and is not seeking reelection.

U.S. Reps. Mike Flood, R-Neb., and Adrian Smith, R-Neb., have each voiced support for Ukraine. Bacon has been the most vocal. Neither Flood or Smith responded to requests for comment on the proposed legislation.

Bacon says he thinks both of his fellow House colleagues share similar sentiments to his, as do most House Republicans. However, Bacon says ambiguity from President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson being “reluctant” to schedule the bill made gathering signatures more difficult.

Bacon said about 10 to maybe 20 Republicans are “very opposed” to the measure.

“Then he’s got to worry about does he keep enough votes to [stay] speaker?” Bacon said of Johnson. “It’s going to take someone like me [to] force a bill on the floor … so the speaker doesn’t even have his hands on it.”

In the end, Bacon says he thinks Johnson “probably agrees with me this is needed, but if he’s behind it,” then some Republicans might revolt and remove him from the House leadership post.

“I think in this case, the importance of it significantly outweighs do I care what the speaker [or] the president thinks,” Bacon said.

Of the importance of continued U.S. support and funding, Bacon said there are moral reasons, such as good (Ukraine) versus evil (Russia), but also practical ones, such as the worry that Russia, a dictatorship, won’t stop with just Ukraine.

“If Ukraine falls, Moldova will be next. I put my life savings on it,” Bacon said. “It’s going to weaken our defense posture. It’s going to cost us more in the long run.”

Much of that aid would stay in the United States, such as in weapons development and the nation’s defense industry, Bacon said. Some older weapons could also be given to Ukraine.

The congressional bill also would reaffirm support for Ukraine and U.S. involvement in NATO, which includes the provision that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Though Ukraine is not a member of NATO, nearby nations are, including Poland.

Bacon and Flood have voiced support for Ukraine joining NATO.

Bacon, a self-described Reagan Republican, said the former president would “definitely be right here with me.” Bacon said it “appalls” him that Trump doesn’t have “moral clarity” on who the better person is: Russian President Vladimir Putin or Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“To me, it’s simple,” Bacon said. “Zelenskyy is the elected leader. I think he’s doing a mighty darn good job trying in the situation of trying to have Ukraine come out of this independent. Very impressed with his leadership. Putin’s a terrible man. He’s a murderer. He is a vicious dictator. And I don’t understand why the president doesn’t have moral clarity on who Putin is.”