In an extraordinarily unusual move, Democrats came to the rescue on Friday to introduce a set of four bills to provide $95 billion in aid to U.S. allies around the world.
Some 165 Democrats voted with 151 Republicans to approve a rule and begin debate on the $95 billion funding package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. There were 55 Republicans who opposed the rule.
Hardline conservatives have come to paralyze House business by opposing the historically mundane rule of procedure being voted on in this Congress. They have thwarted President Mike Johnson’s agenda seven times with this tactic.
Hardline conservatives have gone so far as to paralyze House business by opposing voting on typically procedural rules in this Congress. They have thwarted President Mike Johnson’s agenda seven times with the tactic
House Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries, helped Republicans pass the rule.
The majority party is usually responsible for approving the rule. The minority party usually votes “no” on the rule to start debate on the legislation, even if they support final passage of the bills.
The only other time Democrats helped Republicans with a vote on rules was to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a U.S. default during former President Kevin McCarthy’s administration, and by much smaller margins. Only 52 Democrats voted in favor of the debt ceiling rule and only 29 Republicans opposed it.
“In the closet, a lot of Democrats were saying, ‘Wait, what if the situation was reversed when we got a single Republican vote on a rule?'” top intelligence official Jim Himes asked reporters.
The House can now begin debating and voting on amendments to a package of four bills that make up the $95 billion foreign aid package.
The final vote on the four bills is scheduled for Saturday, after which they will be sent to the Senate.
Ahead of Friday’s vote, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul told reporters that classified intelligence reports on Ukraine had a “huge impact” in influencing Johnson’s decision to submit foreign aid to vote.
Johnson was reluctant for months to bring foreign aid to the ground.
The package in total would offer $26 billion to Israel, $60 billion to Ukraine and $8 billion to the Indo-Pacific, a mix of military and humanitarian aid. It is made up of four separate bills, one for each region.
Israel’s security bill will offer $4 billion to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and billions more for weapons, artillery and ammunition systems, as well as an additional $2.4 billion for U.S. operations in the region.
Nine billion dollars of that bill goes toward humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.
Firefighters and rescuers work at the site of the Russian missile attack, extinguishing a fire and rescuing people from the rubble of a residential building damaged by Russian shelling on April 19, 2024 in Dnipro, Ukraine.
Ukrainian assault brigade soldiers inflict fire damage with a 120mm mortar while supporting infantry assault operations April 19, 2024 in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s bill includes $23 billion to replenish U.S. reserves that have been depleted for the fight in Russia. Some $11 billion would go toward U.S. military operations in the region and $14 billion would go toward the acquisition of advanced weapons systems. Another $26 million would go toward oversight and accountability of equipment delivered to Ukraine.
Two separate funds of economic assistance worth $7.85 billion and $1.58 billion would also be offered to Ukraine under a loan structure. The president has broad authority over the terms of the loan and could forgive half after November 15, 2024 and the other half after January 1, 2026.
A fourth bill includes several measures, such as requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, an effort to obtain seized Russian assets, and a lend-lease program for military aid to Ukraine.
The fourth bill includes a provision involving the REPO Act, meaning it would confiscate Russian assets that have so far only been frozen, and another involving the Lend-Lease Act, which would require Ukraine to return US military assets it are not destroyed. at war.
Johnson noted that much of the bill will not go directly to any country, but will instead serve to replenish depleted U.S. stockpiles for Ukraine and Israel. The United States was heavily involved in defending Israel against Iran’s 300 missile attacks over the weekend.
In an olive branch to hardline conservatives, the House will vote immediately after foreign aid on a border security bill with components of the already passed conservative-only HR 2 border bill.
Members and allies of the right-wing Freedom Caucus were angry that Johnson had long said he would not secure Ukraine’s border before securing the U.S. border, but now appears to have backtracked on that promise.
Johnson has suggested that securing the border is largely an executive authority that reports to President Biden.
Meanwhile, intelligence officials have been warning members of Ukraine’s Congress about the urgent need for American help. CIA Director Bill Burns warned Thursday that Ukraine “could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024.”
Johnson for months resisted calls from the White House to bring aid to Ukraine to the House of Representatives, hesitant knowing that doing so could result in his dismissal. Now his days could be numbered.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., launched a motion to repeal last month and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has now co-signed the effort over frustrations with the foreign aid plan. Other right-wing members have flirted with the idea.
Greene could make the motion “privileged” at any time, forcing a floor vote on Johnson’s impeachment within two legislative days.
On Friday, Johnson was spared at least another day: Greene did not introduce her motion and stormed to her vehicle after the rule vote, refusing to discuss the president’s impeachment with reporters.
Democrats praised Johnson for what they considered “doing the right thing” and bringing the relief bills to the floor, despite what that could do to his career.
“I don’t agree with the president on anything political, but I also think he has integrity,” Himes told DailyMail.com after the rule vote. “I think he’s taken a step forward to become a leader.”
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., called members who oppose the rules a “cancer” for his party, and named Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Bob Good, R-Va., and Matt Gaetz, Republican from Florida, in comments to reporters.
On Wednesday, Van Orden called Gaetz “chubby” and Gaetz called him “squish” and said he was “too stupid” to tie his shoes.