Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that he plans this week to push through a package of national security spending to help Israel, Ukraine and other US allies, along with a separate bill aimed at placating conservatives who strongly oppose the support. of Kiev.
Mr. Johnson’s announcement, which comes after he agonized for weeks over whether and how to push through an infusion of critical aid to Ukraine amid stiff Republican opposition, was the first concrete indication that he had been able to move forward. It came days after Iran launched a major airstrike on Israel, bolstering calls for Congress to move quickly to pass the pending aid bill.
Coming from a meeting where he briefed the GOP lawmakers about his plan, Mr. Johnson said he would put together a legislative package that roughly mirrors the $95 billion aid bill the Senate passed two months ago, but split into three pieces. Lawmakers will vote separately on a bill providing money to Israel, one providing funding for Ukraine and a third with aid for Taiwan and other allies. They would cast a fourth vote on a separate measure containing other policies popular among Republicans.
“The overall idea is the same” as the Senate-passed bill, Mr. Johnson said. “It’s the same places the funding will be sent to and you’ll see the House’s view.”
In addition, the House will take up legislation that would require that some of the aid to Ukraine be returned and some of it financed by the sale of frozen Russian government assets. That package would also include a bill that could ban TikTok, which overwhelmingly passed the House last month but has since languished in the Senate.
It is not clear whether the muddled strategy will be successful in the House, where Mr. Johnson has a weak clout in his divided conference and an outright majority. Its success would require a complex mix of bipartisan coalitions around each piece of the package. Both Senators Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the minority leader, had urged Mr Johnson to pass the aid package passed by the Senate as is.
But some Republicans said it was better to break the package into separate bills. Rep. Kevin Hearn of Oklahoma, the chairman of the conservative Republican study committee, which counts a majority of House GOP members, emerged from the meeting with an early endorsement of the plan.
“I think the speaker is doing the right thing,” Mr Hearn told reporters.
In recent weeks, both publicly and privately, Mr Johnson has repeatedly promised to ensure the House moves to help Ukraine. He had struggled to find a way to structure a foreign aid package that could secure a critical mass of support in the House in the face of bitter Republican opposition to sending aid to Kiev and growing skepticism among Democrats about unlimited military aid to Israel .
Hanging over his head is an impeachment threat from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who had previously vowed to move to oust Mr. Johnson if he pushed through funding for Ukraine without securing sweeping security concessions from Democrats. of the borders.
Ms Green emerged from the closed-door briefing on Monday furious with Mr Johnson’s plan. But he told reporters he had not yet decided whether to force a vote to oust the speaker.
“This is such a scam and people are done with it,” he said.
Mr Johnson has become increasingly vocal about the urgency of sending aid to Kiev, arguing that the United States has a role to play in deterring Russia’s invasion.
“We understand the role America plays in the world,” he said last month. “We understand the importance of sending a strong message to the world that we stand with our allies and cannot allow terrorists and tyrants to cross the globe.”
Carl Hulse contributed to the report.
