By STEPHEN GROVES, LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING (Associated Press)
The House is moving forward with a $95 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian support. The vote on Friday showed bipartisan support, with 316-94 in favor. The final approval is expected this weekend.
Speaker Mike Johnson's strategy for the legislation has been successful after two months of deliberation. He has been working to gain support for the wartime funding, especially for Ukraine, as it battles Russia. This is a critical moment for Ukraine as it fights against Russia.Speaker Johnson has been addressing misinformation and working to secure support for the funding, as well as his own position.
Johnson discussed the need for lethal aid for Ukraine on The Mark Levin Show.
He emphasized the urgency of providing lethal aid to Ukraine and the global implications of the situation.
After Johnson decided to move forward with the plan this week, the House has been making steady progress. President Biden quickly endorsed the plan, and even Donald Trump has not disrupted Johnson's work. The White House statement conveyed the importance of passing the legislation for demonstrating American leadership. President Biden gave swift support to Speaker Johnson's plan, and even Donald Trump has not interfered.
The White House expressed the significance of the Congress passing the legislation as a message of American leadership.
The House Rules Committee members, including four Democrats, supported a procedural step to push the package to the House floor for debate in a rare late-night vote.
Speaker Johnson will need Democratic support to clear the next procedural vote and counter amendments from Republicans that could jeopardize the package, including one from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Greene has introduced a measure to remove the speaker from office, which could initiate a bid to replace Johnson, similar to the removal of Kevin McCarthy from the position last fall.
Johnson must rely on Democratic votes to pass any bill due to the narrow House majority, leading to collaboration with Democrats to secure the passage of the package.
Because Johnson doesn't have the full support of his Republican majority, he can't create the package as the ultra-conservatives want without risking losing Democratic support. This has led him to abandon strict security measures for controlling migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and other priorities.
The best Johnson has been able to do is divide a Senate-passed version of the bill into separate parts, as House Republicans prefer, and the final votes will be on individual measures for Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific allies.
The package would also contain a fourth provision with many Republican priorities that Democrats support, or are at least willing to accept. These include proposals to allow the U.S. to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to support Ukraine, impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China, and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl, and potentially prohibit the video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn't sell its stake within a year. potentially ban the video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell its stake within a year.
Passing each bill, in votes expected Saturday, will require Johnson to build complex bipartisan coalitions for each. For example, Democrats will ensure Ukraine aid is approved, but some left-leaning progressives will refuse to support military aid for Israel due to the destruction of Gaza.
The components would then be automatically recombined into a single package sent to the Senate, where hardliners are also planning procedural moves to delay final approval.
