Washington — The House is set to vote Saturday afternoon on a $95 billion foreign aid package, a pivotal moment for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to stave off a right-wing rebellion.
The package consists of four bills that will be voted on separately and then combined into one before being sent to the Senate. The first three bills include $60.8 billion to help Ukraine in its war with Russia; $26.4 billion to support Israel, which is fighting Hamas and Iran; and $8.1 billion to counter China in the Indo-Pacific. Humanitarian aid for Gaza, which Democrats said was necessary for their support, is also included.
The fourth bill would allow the sale of frozen assets of Russian oligarchs to help fund future aid to Ukraine, potentially force the sale of TikTok and authorize stricter sanctions on Russia, China and Iran.
The speaker said separating the bills will allow members to vote their "conscience" on each one.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, revealed the proposal earlier this week amid escalating pressure from other congressional leaders and the White House to hold a vote on a similar $95 billion package that passed the Senate in February. The Senate package has remained stagnant in the House for months as the speaker deliberated on a path forward, and as he encountered opposition from a small faction of Republicans, who are against providing further aid to Ukraine and are advocating for border measures, in order to push for a vote on his removal.
"This is the best possible product that we can get under these circumstances, to take care of these really important obligations," Johnson stated on Friday.
He mentioned that if he hadn't taken action with his plan, a movement to bypass him and compel a vote on the Senate bill would have garnered more support. House Democrats attempted to utilize a rarely successful legislative tactic known as a discharge petition to achieve this, but they are short of the 218 signatures required.
"We would have had to accept the Senate supplemental bill," Johnson remarked.
The endeavor to remove Johnson had three Republican supporters as of Friday afternoon: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Paul Gosar of Arizona. Gosar declared his backing after more Democrats than Republicans on Friday voted to move forward with the package, positioning it for final approval on Saturday.
The uprising jeopardizes Johnson's position if Democrats do not intervene to support him in case the group of hardliners compels a vote. However, Greene has not specified a timeline for if and when she intends to push for a vote.
Senator Johnson Defends Decision to Bring Up Ukraine Aid for Vote
Senator Johnson has reaffirmed his decision to put the Ukraine aid package up for a vote. Drawing on classified briefings he has received, Johnson emphasized the importance of the aid in countering Russian aggression.
"The aid is critically important in pushing back on Russian aggression. If I operated out of fear over a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job," Johnson stated earlier this week.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, announced on Friday that the Senate will act swiftly to send the aid package to President Biden, who has expressed his intention to sign it into law.
