A Test Looms For House GOP’s ‘Three Mikes,’ Long Seen As Ukraine Allies

On the first anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) issued a fiery joint statement supporting Ukraine.

“The gruesome Russian war crimes and atrocities must end,” they wrote in February last year.

“President Biden needs to stop dragging his feet on providing the lethal aid necessary to end this war. Continued half-measures by the Biden administration will only drive up the cost of this war in lives and dollars,” the trio said.

The statement was notable not only for its vehemence but also for who McCaul, Turner and Rogers are. They head the House committees on foreign affairs, the armed services and intelligence, respectively.

Even as skepticism about helping Ukraine win the bloodiest European conflict since World War II grew within the GOP party, the trio’s stance made them some of Ukraine’s foremost allies in Congress and solidified their nickname among backers of the invaded nation: the “three Mikes.”

However, as the second anniversary nears on Feb. 22, the situation looks almost completely different. All three backed a now-failed strategy to link Ukraine aid to border policy concessions from Democrats. While Ukraine backers believe they can still count on the powerful lawmakers, the ultimate test of their backbone and influence is coming fast.

After tossing Ukraine aid overboard to win passage of a stopgap spending bill in September, Republicans’ plot to tie immigration and Ukraine aid together blew up after GOP senators balked at a carefully crafted bipartisan bill, seemingly following the orders of their Ukraine-skeptic presidential candidate, Donald Trump.

Now, in what may be the last chance for Ukraine to receive