Washington
CNN
—
Speaker Mike Johnson announced on Wednesday that he would stick to plans to move forward with a series of foreign aid bills, including funding for Ukraine, after coming under heavy pressure from hardliners.
“After significant feedback and discussion from members of Congress, the House Rules Committee today announced that it will soon release the text of three bills that would provide funding for U.S. national security interests and allies in Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and Ukraine. “Strategy and accountability have been strengthened,” Johnson said in the memo.
The three-part supplemental package dwarfs the Senate bill in several important respects, including the inclusion of more than $9 billion in humanitarian aid to Gaza and conflict zones around the world, which was a red line for Democrats. are surprisingly similar.
Together, these bills would amount to about $95 billion in aid, the same amount as was included in the Senate bill, with the adjustment that $10 billion in economic aid to Ukraine would be in the form of repayable loans. This particular aid is a type of direct payment that helps the Ukrainian government continue to function during the war.
These loans will be made through about $7.9 billion in economic aid to Ukraine and another $1.6 billion in aid to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia, and the president will need to reach an agreement with Kiev to repay the funds. Sources said the government could cancel the debt if it wanted to.
All told, the bill would send $61 billion to Ukraine and regional partners, of which $23 billion would go toward replenishing U.S. stockpiles. It also includes $26 billion for Israel and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific, according to a release from the House Appropriations Committee.
The fight over the bill, and the possibility that right-wing Republicans may seek to oust him over the bill, is the most intense pressure Johnson has faced over his future in his short term in office. There is. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massey said Tuesday he will co-sponsor Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to resign, which if passed would oust Johnson from the speakership, which she told reporters. However, he insisted that he not resign.
When asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” why the foreign aid package wasn’t cut off months ago, given Ukraine’s dire aid needs, Johnson said, “With minimal funding… “It takes a long time to interact and build consensus.” It’s a huge part of American history. ”
“Look, we know the schedule,” he added. “We are aware of the emergency situation in Ukraine and Israel, and we intend to stand with Israel, our close ally and dear friend, to defend freedom and prevent Vladimir Putin from marching through Europe. .”
Mr Johnson appeared unfazed by the threat to expel him, insisting he was not “walking around thinking about a motion to stand down”.
“It’s a procedural issue here, and I think it’s been abused recently,” he said. “Maybe someday that will change, but for now I have to do my job and so do all my colleagues.”
The financing structure for the aid was announced after a meeting and press conference between Johnson and former President Donald Trump, who announced in February that the U.S. would stop providing foreign aid unless it was structured as a loan. said it should. That weekend, Mr. Johnson received full support from Mr. Trump at a critical moment during his speech.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday night that the House of Commons would consider aid to Israel and Ukraine in separate bills this week, heeding far-right demands to keep the issues separate. But the final product will be packaged into one large package and sent to the Senate, officials said. The House can do this through an arcane process that has angered right-wing Republicans, but which Democrats insist is a condition of support.
The chairman is facing growing pressure to make adjustments to the foreign aid package proposed earlier this week, and not just from his far-right members. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have been sounding the alarm over border security and foreign aid bills since Tuesday’s caucus meeting, and their cries are now spreading to rank-and-file members.
“I want you to go back to Mr. Biden and Mr. Schumer and tell them that we need border security measures to get foreign aid through,” Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a moderate New York Republican, told the speaker on Wednesday. Ta. In a letter to MPs, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would bring forward an immigration bill similar to H.R. 2 in the House of Commons.
Many far-right House Republicans have been quick to reject the border bill that Johnson announced he would include in a foreign aid bill scheduled for a vote on Saturday, dashing hopes that border provisions would placate his right wing. ing.
The border bill contains core provisions of the border package passed in the House of Commons, which remained rejected in the House of Lords, but has been seen as a messaging exercise by Johnson to try to appease his colleagues’ demands on the border. It’s clearly not working.
Mr Green, who is leading the effort to oust Johnson, told X: “By continuing to rely on Democrats to pass legislation, you are seriously out of step with Republicans. Everyone sees through this.”
Conservative hardliners were immediately furious at Johnson’s decision to move forward with billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, loudly warning that it could cost him his job.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas was furious, saying he was “very disappointed” in the speaker and said it was “past the point for any reprieve.”
“I need a little more time today, but that’s not good,” Roy told CNN when asked if it was time to step down.
Flaming Florida lawmaker Matt Gaetz called Johnson’s decision to move forward with the foreign aid bill tantamount to “capitulation” and urged other countries to vote against the bill and pressure other countries not to support the move. I vowed to do my best. Other Republicans also expressed anger and did not rule out voting against Mr. Johnson on a procedural motion that could overturn the bill.
With Republicans narrowly controlling the House of Representatives, Mr. Johnson is likely to need help from Democrats to pass the foreign aid bill, which would protect Mr. Johnson’s job if his motion to resign passes. It will be.
House Democrats are not sure exactly how much they will cooperate with a procedural vote on the aid package until they know whether it includes what they call $9 billion in humanitarian aid to Gaza and other conflict zones around the world. Waiting to be considered. The billions in humanitarian aid includes funding not only for Gaza but also for Sudan, Haiti, and other areas that Democrats have been quick to point to.
At Tuesday’s caucus, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told party members he would not accept “a dime” less in humanitarian aid.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signaled his first clear support for the plan proposed by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
“I am committed to this package, with critical support to Israel and Ukraine, to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and strengthen security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. I strongly support you. Israel faces an unprecedented attack from Iran, and Ukraine faces continued shelling from Russia, which escalated dramatically last month,” Biden said in a statement.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told lawmakers Wednesday that the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine is “starting to shift a little bit in Russia’s favor,” as he urged passage of additional aid for Ukraine.
“In terms of what’s going to happen and how long Ukraine can continue its efforts, we’re already seeing the battlefield situation start to shift a little bit in Russia’s favor. I think so,” Austin said. he told the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
But House Democrats are divided over whether to try to save Johnson if a move to expel him begins in the chamber, with institutionalists saying they could vote against the motion to oust the president. They argue it will prevent Congress from descending into chaos just months before the election. Progressive MPs, meanwhile, have warned that supporting Mr Johnson now could ultimately weaken the party’s base and are already less keen on getting on the November ballot. there is a possibility.
Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi and Jared Moskowitz have publicly said they do not support the effort to oust Mr. Johnson, but other Democrats, including some who held the same office as Mr. Japan is not ready to make such a commitment.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “I pray that that doesn’t happen, and that we can live up to our responsibilities and protect and protect our own democracy just as we protect theirs.” That’s all,” he said.
If Johnson is indeed ousted, the bill would not be debated until a new speaker is elected, potentially throwing the House of Commons into chaos once again.
This story was updated with additional developments Wednesday.
CNN’s Manu Raju and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this report.
