WASHINGTON – Facing party divisions and pressure to act, House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday introduced three bills providing aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, hoping for a final vote on Saturday. .
These bills will be a major test of Johnson’s ability to navigate a thicket of political and global challenges with a razor-thin majority. And that leaves Johnson (R-Louisiana) facing serious threats to the gavel from Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massey (R-Ky.) It happened when.
Mr. Johnson’s biggest challenge is funding for Ukraine, an issue that has sharply divided the Republican Party. He has leveraged conservative security hawks who want to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression and former President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO and previous efforts to help Ukraine. It has been oppressed by isolationist forces.
Several Republicans have said they oppose any funding to Ukraine, meaning it will take a sizable share of Democrats to see the bill through. Many of the provisions in the bill are similar to the bill passed en masse in the House of Lords, but Prime Minister Johnson vetoed it and refused to allow it to be voted on in the House of Commons.
In a message to MPs before unveiling the bill, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This is an aid financing facility that will provide funding for U.S. national security interests and allies in Israel, the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine. “Three bills will be introduced, including strengthening strategy and accountability.” . ”
He said Republican leaders will move forward with the amendment process “in parallel with a fourth bill that includes the REPO Act.” The bill aims to seize Russian assets to benefit Ukraine. The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban TikTok in the United States unless it is divested from its China-based owners. It also includes “sanctions and other measures to counter Russia, China, and Iran.”
“We anticipate a vote on final passage of these bills to be taken Saturday evening,” Johnson said in a text message obtained by NBC News.
He also said a “border security bill that includes the core elements of HR2,” the conservative House-passed immigration bill, would move forward in a separate process. The measure is a relief to reluctant conservatives who are unhappy that the aid bill contains no provisions on domestic immigration.
A swift backlash from conservatives
Several House of Commons Conservatives quickly hit back on social media Wednesday after Johnson’s message, complaining that the border measures were not directly linked to the Ukrainian funds.
“The Republican House Speaker is pushing for rules to pass nearly $100 billion in foreign aid, but without a doubt, dangerous criminals, terrorists, and fentanyl are flowing across our borders. “Voting” is a dangerous cover for watering down. I object,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). I wrote to X.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania), the most recent chairman of the far-right group Freedom Caucus, tweeted, “Anything other than tying Ukraine aid to actual border security is in line with @SpeakerJohnson’s own words just a few weeks ago. We can’t respond. Voters demand and deserve more from us.”
Rep. Troy Neals (R-Texas) earlier argued that aid to Ukraine was unnecessary, saying, “We will not give them a dime today, tomorrow, next week.”
“Putin is not going to Poland. I don’t care what you say. And anyway, it doesn’t really matter, because… if Donald Trump wins, Putin will leave. President Putin is leaving Ukraine,” Nehls said before announcing the bill, without explaining the logic.
House Democrats have repeatedly urged Johnson to instead propose a Senate-passed foreign aid package, making it the best (if not the only) path to getting the bill on Biden’s desk. It is claimed that there is. They posted a “removal petition” with 195 signatories to oust Mr Johnson and force a vote on the bill. It would require 218 votes to pass, with support from Democrats and some Republicans.
In a meeting with Democrats on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) told lawmakers that Republicans needed to rally support for the expulsion petition, according to two people familiar with her comments. He said he needed to take advantage of his “personal relationships” with employees.
Treasury Secretary Yellen ramps up pressure
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is expected to ramp up pressure on House Republicans to take action during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal later on Wednesday.
“The failure of House Republicans to take action in support of Ukraine at this pivotal moment in the war is inexcusable and detrimental to our national security,” Treasury officials said in a statement. “Yes,” he would say. “Every moment of delay by House Republicans strengthens Putin and America’s adversaries around the world who are watching closely to see if we, the United States, remain determined to support a democratic Ukraine while fending off an authoritarian Russia.” encourage us.”
However, Green did not say when she would force a vote on the motion to remove Johnson from the chair, which would require a simple majority for Johnson to resign. Her initiative gained co-sponsorship from Mr Massey on Tuesday, and she predicted Mr Johnson would be voted out.
It is not clear whether there are enough votes to expel Mr Johnson. Many conservatives, including those who voted to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have not joined the effort to oust Mr. Johnson. Some Democrats have said they will vote to protect Mr. Johnson from a motion to remove him from office.
But Massey said that would only hurt his standing within the Republican Party in the long run.
“Then he gets further into the rift with the Republicans. He grows to dislike the conference. For every Democrat who comes to his aid, he loses two or three more Republicans. “It will be,” Massey said. “After that, he doesn’t have very long to live.”
Mr Johnson sounded defiant on Tuesday when asked about the gavel threat, saying he was “not concerned” about the motion but would continue to carry out his job, calling it “ridiculous”. said.
