Speaker Mike Johnson told Republicans Wednesday that the House will vote on foreign aid packages for Israel and Ukraine on Saturday night, overcoming party resistance and advancing a long-stalled national security spending package for U.S. allies. He said he plans to do so.
His announcement comes amid overwhelming opposition from Republicans who fiercely oppose additional aid to Ukraine and have been venting their anger for days as Congressional aides race to craft legislation that Johnson proposed on Monday. Ta.
The bill Mr. Johnson is pushing forward largely mirrors the $95 billion aid bill the Senate passed two months ago that includes aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other U.S. allies, but includes three It is divided into parts and will be voted on separately.
A fourth vote is expected on another bill that includes other policies popular among Republicans, such as conditioning aid to Ukraine on loans, which would also lead to a nationwide TikTok ban and new sanctions on Iran. There is a possibility of connection. It would also pave the way for the sale of frozen Russian sovereign assets to finance Ukraine's war.
The bill includes $60 billion for Kiev. $26 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in conflict zones, including Israel and Gaza. and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific.
“We adopted the Senate Supplemental Bill to improve our processes and our policies, which is very important,” Johnson said on Fox News Wednesday. “Every member can vote their conscience.”
In a separate interview with CNN a few minutes later, he added: “We're not the world's police officers, but we're going to do the right thing. And I think Congress will take an important stand.”
After Johnson released the text of the aid plan on Wednesday afternoon, President Biden issued a statement endorsing the plan and urging its swift passage.
“This policy will provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and strengthen security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, with critical support for Israel and Ukraine,” Biden said. I strongly support it.” “I will sign this immediately and send a message to the world: We stand with our friends and will not allow Iran or Russia to succeed.”
The multi-part plan received just enough support from Democrats and mainstream Republicans to pass, overcoming opposition from hard-right wingers who want funding for Ukraine and left-wing Democrats who don't support unfettered aid to Israel. It has been carefully assembled to collect. If all four bills pass the House, they would be combined into a single bill that would be taken up by the Senate to prevent senators from being able to cherry-pick which bills they approve or reject.
Everything needs to go right for Johnson to win this week.
Mr Johnson already faces a tough road after announcing at a news conference on Monday night that he would push ahead with the aid package over vocal opposition from conservatives. On Tuesday, a Republican lawmaker announced he would join the effort to oust Mr. Johnson, which Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene led last month.
He met with a parade of Republican lawmakers trying to persuade him to abandon his plan in favor of more partisan proposals, such as abandoning aid to Ukraine altogether. He is eager to leave Washington this weekend to attend fundraisers and a pre-planned delegation trip overseas to ensure enough lawmakers are present for Saturday night's vote to pass the bill. I had to manage the schedules of the members of Congress.
Mr. Johnson will also almost certainly need to rely on Democrats for the votes he needs to clear the way for an unusually unconventional floor vote and the aid to Ukraine itself. Many Republicans have said they will vote to block the package from reaching the floor in protest.
“Every true conservative America First patriot in the House should vote against the rules of this borrowed foreign aid bill with no border security!” Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good of Virginia the congressman wrote on social media.
Another spasm of resistance came late Wednesday night, when three conservatives on the House of Commons Rules Committee vowed to bring the border security bill to the floor for a vote on Saturday as part of a mass protest against Mr. Johnson. He expressed his intention to prevent this. Handling of legislative packages.
Mr Johnson previously announced there would be a separate vote on the border security bill, which “contains the core elements” of the tougher bill passed by House Republicans last May. The bill cracks down on illegal immigration and reinstates the hard borders of the Trump administration. limit. It was a nod to ultra-conservatives who have urged the chairman not to move forward with aid to Ukraine without securing significant concessions from Democrats on immigration policy.
But hardliners on the committee said the planned vote was just a show, because it would not be bundled with a foreign aid package and the Senate would not be forced to vote on it.
“This is not the way we should be doing business,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “I believe this is part of a larger effort to push something through for very politically expedient purposes, and I'm on record saying I'm against this. .”