Republican senators joined the Democratic majority Thursday to close down an effort to restrict Ukraine funding within the annual Pentagon coverage invoice.

In its final vote of the week, the chamber rejected on a 71-13 vote an modification to the National Defense Authorization Act that will have required that $800 million in Ukraine funding within the invoice be restricted till U.S. allies chip in additional funding for the nation’s struggle effort.

Sen. Mike Lee, the Utah Republican who proposed the modification, mentioned earlier than the vote that it could encourage different National Atlantic Treaty Organization international locations to shoulder their “fair share of the security burden” in Europe.

Mr. Lee’s modification would have required that simply 2% of the funding for Ukraine support that the NDAA may authorize really be despatched to Kyiv till different NATO international locations meet the alliance’s longstanding goal of devoting no less than 2% of their gross home product to protection spending.

“For it to be a collective endeavor, they’ve got to pay their way — they haven’t been,” Mr. Lee mentioned. “This would incentivize them to do so.”

But Sen. Jack Reed, Rhode Island Democrat and Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, mentioned that Mr. Lee’s modification was reckless, and would undermine the struggle effort in Ukraine.

“It would essentially halt 98% of the aid that we would authorize and appropriate in Ukraine, which would be good news in Moscow, but bad news in Kyiv,” Mr. Reed mentioned.

Republican senators voted 26-13 towards the supply as did all 45 Democrats who voted.

Besides Mr. Lee, the 12 Republican senators who voted in favor of the modification had been Sens. Steve Daines of Montana, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Mike Braun of Indiana, Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rick Scott of Florida, and J.D. Vance of Ohio.

Mr. Lee’s modification was one among a slate of add-ons authored by the Utah Republican that search to reel again the U.S. involvement within the Ukrainian struggle.

Other amendments embody a prohibition on a long-term safety help assure to Ukraine, the ending of President Biden’s unexpected emergency declaration for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a ban on the usage of pressure towards Russia, and a declaration that Ukraine can not be a part of NATO till the struggle with Russia ends.

Those measures are anticipated to be voted on subsequent week, however no particular date has been set.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, has promised that the chamber will transfer swiftly and in a bipartisan style to complete work on the must-pass NDAA as August recess quick approaches.

The chamber has different NDAA amendments to vote on subsequent week in addition to the Ukraine provisions, together with measures to put aside $10 million for cell mammogram companies for feminine veterans, to finish China’s standing as a creating nation, and to ban the navy from shopping for drones from international adversaries.

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