The Republican-majority House of Representatives could vote on a $95 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific as early as Saturday. It is the same amount that was requested by the Biden administration months ago — and that package now has the president's support.
How did we get here?
Weeks ago, the Senate passed a foreign aid package that would have helped Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and Pacific allies, and provided humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
And for weeks on the House of Representatives side, there were questions as to whether or not that bill would ever come up for a vote.
Within the last several days, we finally got direction from Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who said the House would vote on the different issues individually.
The White House has since backed the proposal.
But each of the bills still has to get out of the House Rules Committee, which has led to new tensions on Capitol Hill.
A number of conservatives do not want a Ukraine bill passed in the House until serious border changes are made.
"The Republican speaker is hinging his entire ability to stay speaker on sending 60 more billion dollars to Ukraine," said Georgia's Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. "I can't think of a worse betrayal ever to happen in United States history."
"I think that [Johnson] views the Ukraine issue very differently than when we do. We're worried about America's border. He seems to be more worried about Ukraine," said Florida's Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz. "I think a motion to vacate is something that could put the conference in peril. And [Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert] and I — we're working to avoid that. Our goal is to avoid a motion to vacate."
House's Ukraine, Israel aid package gains Biden's support
The bills “will fund America’s national security interests and allies in Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and Ukraine,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote.
The future of Johnson's speakership
A big question remains: If Speaker Johnson allows these bills to pass in the House in the coming days, could they jeopardize his role?
Some Democrats have hinted that they would support Johnson in continued speakership if he were able to pass new aid bills — but Democratic leaders including New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries have warned the party not to commit support until they see more concrete legislative results.
