Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday revealed a strategy to provide support to Israel and Ukraine during times of conflict in an effort to combat opposition from the right wing that could jeopardize his leadership.
The Republican from Louisiana announced his intention to introduce four separate bills for consideration. The proposed legislation separates aid for Israel from assistance for Ukraine, a move that has sparked controversy among some members of his party. A third bill focuses on providing aid to Taiwan, while the fourth bill addresses additional foreign policy priorities of the Republican party.
Johnson indicated that there are ongoing discussions about whether to consolidate the individual bills into a single package before sending them to the Senate for approval. However, his preference is to proceed with sending the bills for consideration individually.
Johnson has resisted pressure from defense hawks in both parties to bring up a $95 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that passed the Senate in February with bipartisan support. Johnson has struggled to find a path forward amid fractures among Republicans and Democrats over emergency assistance to Ukraine and Israel. But Iran's drone-and-missile attack over the weekend on Israel, which came in retaliation for a strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this month, increased the pressure on Johnson to hold a vote on the Senate bill this week. Proponents of the Senate bill believe it has enough support to pass the House.
Putting Ukraine aid up for a vote carries the threat of ending his six-month tenure as speaker that has been defined by GOP infighting that has thrown the lower chamber into dysfunction. House Republicans' narrow majority has forced Johnson to repeatedly rely on Democrats to pass major legislation, much to the chagrin of some conservatives. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, has threatened to trigger a vote on ousting Johnson if he moves ahead with an aid package for Ukraine.
Greene called the proposal "another wrong direction" for Johnson, but said she hadn't decided on whether she'd move ahead in trying to oust him.
"I am firmly against the plan as it stands right now," Greene said after Monday's conference meeting. "This is such a scam."
When asked whether he could survive a vote to remove him, Johnson said, "I don't spend my time worrying about motions to vacate. We're trying to govern here, and we're going to do our job. I'm not sure how that shakes out."
Political Divide Over Aid to Israel
As the debate over aid to Israel continues, there is a growing divide among lawmakers. Some conservatives are in favor of splitting the aid into individual bills to appease their base, while progressives are hesitant to send additional aid due to concerns over Israel's actions in Gaza.
The White House has made it clear that they are against a standalone Israel bill, which could further complicate the situation. Additionally, a recent Israeli strike that resulted in the death of seven aid workers has sparked outrage among Democrats, leading to increased resistance to providing more aid.
With tensions rising on both sides of the political spectrum, the fate of the aid package in the Senate remains uncertain.
