House advances Ukraine, Israel aid as Dems help Speaker Johnson, GOP
The House advanced legislation Friday to send aid to Ukraine and other embattled U.S. allies overseas, clearing a key procedural hurdle after Democrats stepped in to back the measure — a rare move by the minority party, but one that was crucial to nudge the package forward in the face of fierce conservative opposition.
The chamber approved the foreign aid rule in a 316-94 vote, opening up debate on a quartet of bills combining military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with humanitarian assistance to Gaza and other global war zones. The successful rule tees up final passage of all four measures, which are scheduled to hit the floor in separate votes Saturday afternoon.
The advancement brings Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) one step closer to passing an explosive foreign aid package that has been the subject of intense debate within the Capitol — and his conference — for months amid dire warnings from lawmakers, U.S. officials and foreign figures that Kyiv’s beleaguered forces need more U.S. assistance.
But the bipartisan vote is sure to land Johnson in more hot water with his right flank, which has sharply criticized the package — both for the billions of dollars in Ukraine aid and the exclusion of border security — and have long denounced the Speaker’s tendency to work with Democrats to advance key priorities including, now, foreign assistance.
Highlighting those internal tensions, three Republicans on the House Rules Committee had voted against the rule on the panel late Thursday night, and 55 conservatives voted against it again when it hit the House floor Friday morning. The House Freedom Caucus released an official position Thursday urging all Republicans to oppose the rule.
The internal opposition to what has historically been a standard procedural matter has become its own routine this Congress, as conservatives have sought to press GOP leaders to fight harder for Republican priorities — the dynamic that led to the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last October.
But despite the drama, Johnson’s job appears safe — for now.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has filed a resolution to oust the Speaker, but she has not said when she plans to trigger a vote on it. And Thursday, even as she railed against Johnson’s handling of the Ukraine debate, she said she’s not ready to force her vacate resolution to the floor.
“I'm not acting out of emotions or rash feelings or anger,” Greene said. “I'm doing this the right way, and I'm allowing my conference to see exactly what I saw months ago.”
Lending Johnson a huge boost — and perhaps a job-security lifeline — former President Trump threw his support behind the Speaker during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago last week, a vote of confidence that has muddied Greene’s path forward in her ouster effort.
Even if she does force a vote to remove Johnson, Democrats are likely to step in and save him. A number of Democrats in recent months have said that if the Speaker moves aid for Ukraine, they will protect him from a conservative coup. Some have predicted there are dozens of Democrats in that camp.
On Friday’s rule vote, the eleventh-hour help from Democrats did not come as a surprise: President Biden endorsed the foreign aid package earlier this week, and the four Democrats on the Rules Committee voted late Thursday night to advance the package through the panel over the opposition of three committee conservatives.
Nonetheless, the Democratic support was extraordinary: Members of the minority party rarely help majority leaders pass procedural rules. The only other instance of Democrats helping Republicans advance legislation on a procedural vote this Congress was in May, when Democrats crossed the aisle to support a rule to begin debate on the debt limit bill crafted by Biden and McCarthy.
Friday’s bipartisan vote to advance the foreign aid package — as well as Johnson’s decision to risk his gavel to bring it to the floor — reflect the urgency felt by leaders in both parties as Ukraine is running low on weapons supplies and Israel is under fire from Iran.
Date: |
Filter
-
House Democratic leaders said they would block any effort to oust Speaker Johnson, moving to protect the Republican from retaliation by his hard-right flank after the passage of a foreign-aid package that included funding for Ukraine.
House Democratic leaders said they would block any effort to oust Speaker Johnson, moving to protect the Republican from retaliation by his hard-right flank after the passage of a foreign-aid package that included funding for Ukraine.The Wall Street Journal - World -
Biden said he’d take another stab at a border bill — but nothing appears in the works
‘They pulled a rabbit out of a hat on Ukraine, but there’s no chance they’re getting anything out of Mike Johnson’s House on border security’Politico - Politics - Joe Biden -
House Democratic leaders say they would help save Speaker Mike Johnson's job
WASHINGTON — House Democratic leadership said in a joint statement Tuesday that they would vote to help save Speaker Mike Johnson if far-right Rep.NBC News - Politics -
New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne Jr. dies
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. was well-liked by his colleagues and served as chair and ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.Politico - Politics -
White House doesn’t want to touch House speaker drama
Even though Johnson helped move his foreign policy aid package, the president isn’t going to intervene on a conservative effort to oust him.Politico - Politics - House -
Helping Ukraine is in Floridians' Interest
Sen. Rubio’s opposition to aid disappoints a constituent and softens a long-time GOPer’s exit from the party.The Wall Street Journal - World - Ukraine -
Johnson temporarily dodges ouster vote as House passes foreign aid
Conservative rebels are hoping the week-long recess will build support for their pending effort to boot the speaker.Politico - Politics -
Brown agrees to Israel divestment vote as House GOP digs in on antisemitism in a busy day for student protests
The college protests across the nation saw a slew of headline-grabbing developments on Tuesday, including the takeover of a building at Columbia University, a new House-wide effort by Republicans to investigate antisemitism and a major victory for ...The Hill - Politics - Israel
More from The Hill
-
Rep. Lawler: Here’s what I saw during my visit to Columbia University
History will judge us for what we do at this moment. And the question for the Senate is simple: Will you stand up to the radicals spouting antisemitism and calling for a genocide of the Israeli and Jewish people?The Hill - Politics -
Stormy Daniels lawyer walks through hush money deal with Cohen during Trump trial: Live updates
Former President Trump's hush money trial began Thursday with a brief hearing related to whether Trump violated a gag order four more times in addition to the nine he was found in contempt of earlier this week. The judge has not yet made a ruling ...The Hill - Politics - Donald Trump -
California congressional race will be traditional general election after recount
A recount in a California congressional race has broken a deadlock between two Democrats who tied for second place in the state’s primary, advancing just one to the general election. Democrats Evan Low and Joe Simitian tied for second in the ...The Hill - Politics - California -
Biden speaks on campus protests as university response heats up: Watch live
President Biden is slated to deliver remarks Thursday morning on the ongoing campus protests across as response efforts from administrators and police have ramped up. Pro-Palestinian protests have escalated in recent days, with police most ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
A dispatch from the future: There is nothing more patriotic than questioning the results of elections
This may sound similar to rhetoric I strongly condemned when it came to the 2020 election from Republicans, but it’s vastly different — because Donald Trump is evil.The Hill - Politics