Washington — House Republican leadership on Wednesday unveiled the legislative text for three bills that are part of a complicated plan by Speaker Mike Johnson to get aid to U.S. allies while addressing concerns from conservatives.
The three bills would provide $26.4 billion to support Israel, $60.8 bill to bolster Ukraine and $8.1 billion to counter China in the Indo-Pacific, including billions for Taiwan.
The fourth bill, which is set to be released later in the day, is geared toward addressing other GOP foreign policy priorities. That measure would allow the sale of frozen assets of Russian oligarchs, potentially force the sale of TikTok and authorize stricter sanctions on Russia, China and Iran. House Republicans are also expected to release a border security bill that would be considered separately.
Johnson said he would give lawmakers 72 hours to review the legislation, teeing up a vote as soon as Saturday.
The Louisiana Republican announced the proposal on Monday amid mounting pressure from members in both parties to hold a vote on a bipartisan Senate package that includes support for the U.S. allies. The $95 billion supplemental funding package that passed the Senate in February has stagnated for months in the House as Johnson has debated a path forward.
“We won’t be voting on the Senate supplemental in its current form, but we will vote on each of these measures separately in four different pieces,” Johnson told reporters after unveiling his plan to House Republicans on Monday.
The divide over foreign aid
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Lawmakers expressed new urgency around approving the funds for Israel after it faced unprecedented airstrikes by Iran over the weekend, which came in retaliation for an Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria. And while Senate leaders and the White House had insisted that the House approving the Senate-passed package would be the most effective way to move forward, Johnson has resisted that pressure in the face of threats from the right flank of his party to oust him.
Foreign aid has highlighted the growing divide within the Republican Party, particularly in the House, where conservatives oppose additional funding to Ukraine.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, has threatened to trigger a vote on ousting Johnson over Ukraine aid. Her effort lacked the public support of any of her GOP colleagues until Tuesday, when Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie signed onto the resolution to remove the speaker, known as a motion to vacate.
Johnson said he is “not resigning,” calling it “an absurd notion” that someone would bring a motion to vacate “when we are simply here trying to do our jobs.”
The conservative House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday accused Johnson of “surrendering the last opportunity we have to combat the border crisis.”
Before the bills’ text was released, a handful of Republican committee chairs backed Johnson’s plan and called for the legislation to be passed this week.
“There is nothing our adversaries would love more than if Congress were to fail to pass critical national security aid,” the group said in a statement.
With such a narrow majority, Democrats would have to step in to save Johnson if Greene or Massie follow through with forcing a vote. Republicans can afford to lose just two votes if all members are present and voting. Beginning next week, after Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin resigns, Republicans can spare a single vote.
Democrats have kept the door open to backing Johnson’s plan, as long as it includes aid to the three U.S. allies and humanitarian assistance. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California said Tuesday they were “more concerned about the substance” of the legislation “than we are the process.”
“If Speaker Johnson’s version is missing one of these components, it’s highly unlikely Democrats would support it,” said Rep. Ted Lieu of California, the caucus’ vice chair.
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts called Johnson’s indecisiveness “a threat to global security,” adding that Johnson’s effort to pacify his detractors is futile.
“How many appearances has he made saying ‘I am bringing up Ukraine funding next week’? Here we are. There is no appeasing the Marjorie Taylor Greene’s of this conference,” Clark told reporters Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Tuesday morning he is “reserving judgment” on the proposal until more details are released, while again calling on the House to vote on the Senate bill.
The White House has said it does not support a standalone Israel bill, and two previous efforts to provide aid to Israel since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack by Hamas have failed in Congress. On Tuesday afternoon, White House spokesman John Kirby said administration officials were waiting to see more details on Johnson’s plan, but “it does appear at first blush, that the speaker’s proposals will, in fact, help us get aid to Ukraine, aid to Israel and needed resources to the Indo-Pacific.”
Ellis Kim, Nikole Killion, Cristina Corujo and Gabrielle Ake contributed reporting.