As votes go, it should have been a slam dunk. And it sort of was.
House members were asked Tuesday night if the chamber should formally condemn Russia’s practice of abducting Ukrainian children as part of its ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. And they agreed, approving a nonbinding resolution with a whopping 390 votes.
But nine House Republicans voted against it, citing a variety of reasons, such as the notion that the bill was meant as a distraction from the U.S. southern border, to fears that it was meant to build support for more Ukraine aid, to vague concerns it would obligate the United States in some other way.
“Our country is under frickin’ siege. Our borders are wide open and we’re going to go run a messaging resolution, a Democrat messaging resolution?” asked Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) Wednesday.
Roy said Democrats were “MIA on Laken Riley,” referring to the Georgia nursing student killed recently, allegedly by an undocumented immigrant.
“Or the children getting sold in the sex trafficking trade right here in America,” he added. “You want to talk about genocide? Let’s talk about what’s happening here!”
The resolution was approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in November on a unanimous 44-0 vote. It was brought to the floor Tuesday under a procedure specifically used for noncontroversial legislation, which requires a two-thirds majority vote instead of a simple majority for approval.
The resolution listed the number of Ukrainian children that have been transferred to Russia so far — an estimated 200,000 to 260,000, according to Ukrainian and U.S. officials.
It also said the House held Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible or the abductions; that facilitating Russian adoptions of Ukrainian children “amounts to genocide;” that Russia is trying to “wipe out” a generation of Ukrainian children and that the invasion raised the risk of Ukrainian children being exposed to trafficking, violence and child labor.
These statements went too far for nine Republicans.
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), one no vote, said he worried about the resolution’s veiled references to international tribunals like the International Criminal Court, sometimes referred to by its location, The Hague. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s children’s rights commissioner, who has helped facilitate “adoptions” of Ukrainian children.
“This is trying to insert the United States and the International Criminal Court into a dispute that Ukraine and Russia are still [having] — it’s not like they’ve reached some kind of treaty agreement,” Davidson said. “It creates a hook to expand the war instead of a path to resolve it.”
“What is happening in the Ukraine-Russia conflict is tragic, as all wars are — but every war is not a genocide, and declaring one after 40 minutes of debate under the same legislative process we use to name post offices isn’t just irresponsible, it’s reckless,” said Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), another no vote, in a statement.
Under the 1948 Genocide Convention, an international treaty signed by Russia and the U.S. as well as 151 other nations, genocide is defined as the intent to destroy a group, wholly or partially, based on their national, ethnic, religious or racial makeup, and committing acts to that end. Those acts can include killing or causing serious bodily harm to group members, deliberately inflicting “conditions of life” to destroy the group; preventing births within the group or “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.”
In the House resolution, introduced by Rep. Susan Wild (D-Penn.), the House declared “the facilitation of illegal adoptions is contrary to Russia’s obligations under the Genocide Convention and amounts to genocide.”
“My issue with this legislation was the language that referred to the Russian-Ukrainian war as a genocide,” said Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) in a statement to HuffPost.
“Calling it ‘genocide’ is not accurate and only escalates conflict in the region — even the White House and the U.N. have shied away from using this language so far.”
A spokesman for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said, “Congressman Massie opposed the resolution because it is little more than a cynical attempt to build public support for foreign aid spending he does not support.”
Roy echoed that suspicion, saying, “This isn’t just like ‘oh, let’s do this for the children.’ This is, ‘we’re trying to make a point.’”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a vocal opponent of aid to Ukraine, did not explain why she voted against the resolution.
“I’ve got to tell you, your publication is literally trash. I mean true garbage. That’s my statement to you,” she told HuffPost.
The offices of three other “no” votes — Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) and Clay Higgins (R-La.) — did not respond to requests for comment left late in the day.
“What a tragedy that is,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who has been among the most vocal Ukraine supporters in Congress, said of the “no” votes.
“I hope that when this horrible war is over and Ukraine wins, I hope we’re able to make sure that the free world, and any country with any merit, would condemn Russia for what she has done to innocent people.”
Davidson and others said they condemned the kidnappings, despite their votes. “Obviously, don’t hurt kids — if that was all the resolution said, I can’t see anyone who would vote against that. I certainly wouldn’t,” he said.
A mid-March Economist/YouGov poll found 56% of respondents favored maintaining or increasing aid supplies to Ukraine, compared to 30% who want to see them cut. But Democrats were far more likely to be in favor than Republicans.
The polls also found about 40% of respondents think former president Donald Trump’s sympathies lie with Russia, compared to only 16% who thought he favored Ukraine.
Asked if he worried the votes would play into the Democratic political narrative that Republicans are soft on Putin and Russia, Davidson said, “I know they’re going to say it, but that doesn’t mean it’s true.”