President Mike Johnson is pushing a sprawling $95 billion foreign aid package through the House on Saturday, including more than $60 billion in military support to Ukraine, despite fierce opposition from conservatives. hard line.
In total, the package provides $26 billion to Israel, more than $60 billion to Ukraine, and $8 billion to the Indo-Pacific through a combination of military and humanitarian aid.
The package of three separate aid bills is being voted on along with a fourth side car that includes a possible ban on TikTok and a vehicle to repurpose seized Russian assets for Ukraine.
The sidecar bill passed 360-58, with an amendment requiring the Treasury to come up with support for Iranian assets and sanctions waivers.
The Indo-Pacific bill, to provide military aid to Taiwan against a rapid invasion by China, passed 385 to 34, with 34 Republicans voting against and one Democrat, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, voting “present.” “.
The bill providing cash to Ukraine will be the most controversial of several on Saturday.
Most Democrats are expected to vote in favor of aid to Ukraine, while hardline Republicans plan to oppose Johnson and vote “no” because they said the United States’ own southern border must first be secured before handing over foreign aid.
The vote comes days after CIA Director Bill Burns warned that Ukraine would lose its war with Russia by the end of the year if the United States did not send additional military support.
The weekend vote is expected to spark conservative agitators, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has launched a process to impeach Johnson.
The House approved a foreign aid package that has been a thorn in President Mike Johnson’s side for months. The Senate originally approved a similar version of the measure in February.
It remains to be seen whether he will make good on his threat, which has the support of two other members of the Republican Party.
Still, her opposition did not shake Johnson, who said earlier in the week: “If Marjorie [Taylor Greene] you make the motion, she makes the motion, and you let the chips fall where they may.
The bills will be sent together as a single package for an up-or-down vote to the Senate next week.
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.
An amendment by Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., the only U.S. lawmaker born in Ukraine, to remove humanitarian aid provisions from the bill failed miserably on the floor.
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.
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 House already passed a bill to force ByteDance to divest from TikTok, but the new omnibus legislation would give TikTok a year instead of six months to separate from China.
Attaching the measure to foreign aid will force the Senate to vote on it, after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer delayed bringing it to the Senate floor.
The so-called “sidecar” bill also includes a provision involving the REPO Act, meaning it would seize Russian assets that have so far only been frozen and repurpose them for Ukraine, and another involving the Lend-Lease Act, which demand Ukraine return US military assets that are not destroyed in the war.
House Speaker Michael McCaul, R-Texas, gave a fiery speech on the floor before the sidecar vote.
‘The world is watching. Our adversaries are watching. And history will judge us by our actions here today,” he stated.
‘As we deliberate this vote, you must ask yourself this question. Am I Chamberlain or Churchill?
A man carries items on his back as people remove belongings from their homes following Israeli airstrikes. The foreign aid funding package would include money for Israel’s missile defenses, among other military priorities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly requested that Congress approve supplemental funding for his country’s ongoing war against Russia.
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 last week.
In an olive branch to hardline conservatives, Johnson announced a vote on a border security bill with components of the already passed conservative HR 2 border bill.
That includes immediate construction of a border wall, asylum restrictions and the Remain in Mexico policy under Trump, but the vote is expected to fail.
Members and allies of the right-wing Freedom Caucus were angry that Johnson said he would not secure Ukraine’s border before securing the U.S. border, but he has now walked back 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.”
On Friday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul told reporters that classified intelligence reports on Ukraine had a “major impact” in influencing Johnson’s decision to put aid to a vote. abroad.
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.
Greene, R-Ga., launched a motion to override last month and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., are now co-signing 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.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to impeach the president nearly a month ago. She previously warned President Johnson not to put foreign aid funds up for a vote without including border security measures, which she did on Saturday.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has called on President Johnson to resign to avoid being impeached.
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.”
With the House of Representatives’ slim one-vote Republican majority, Johnson will have to rely on Democrats if he wants to keep his job when an override motion comes to the House.