WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is preparing in a rare way Saturday session to approve $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and other US allies, Democrats and Republicans uniting behind the legislation after a grueling months-long fight over renewed American support to repel Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .
Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson — putting his job at risk — relied on Democratic support this week to organize a series of votes on three aid bills, as well as a fourth that contains several other foreign policy proposals. If the vote is successful, the package will go to the Senate, where approval in the coming days is almost guaranteed. President Joe Biden promised to sign it immediately.
House approval would clear the biggest hurdle to Biden’s funding request, first made in October as military supplies from Ukraine began to run low. The GOP-controlled House, skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine, debated for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance be tied to political changes on the U.S. southern border — only to immediately reject a bipartisan offer from the Senate in the same sense.
Reaching an endgame has been a unbearable elevation for Johnson It tested both his resolve and his support among Republicans, with a small but growing number now openly calling for his removal as speaker of the House. However, congressional leaders viewed the votes as a turning point in history – an urgent sacrifice at a time when US allies are besieged by wars and threats from continental Europe to the Middle East and Asia.
“The only thing that kept the terrorists and the tyrants at bay was the perception of a strong America, that we would remain strong,” Johnson said this week. “And we will. I think Congress will show that. This is a very important message that we are going to send to the world.”
Still, Congress has seen a series of visits from world leaders in recent months, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, almost begging lawmakers to approve the aid. Overall, the delay has left many questioning America’s commitment to its allies.
At stake is also one of Biden’s top foreign policy priorities – stopping the Russian president Vladimir Putinadvancement in Europe. After holding quiet talks with Johnson, the president quickly approved Johnson’s plan this week, clearing the way for Democrats to give their rare support to clear the procedural hurdles needed for a final vote.
“It is past time for us to stand with our democratic allies in Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific and provide humanitarian assistance to civilians who are at risk in theaters of conflict like Gaza, Haiti and Sudan,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. at a press conference on Friday.
Voting on the package will likely create unusual alliances in the House. While aid to Ukraine will likely win majorities in both parties, a significant number of progressive Democrats are expected to vote against the bill aiding Israel, while demanding an end to the bombing of Gaza that has killed thousands of civilians.
At the same time, donald trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, has stood out in the fight, intervening from afar through statements on social media and direct phone calls with legislators while tilting the Republican Party towards a more isolationist stance with his brand of “America First” politics. Ukraine’s defense once enjoyed robust, bipartisan support in Congress, but as the war enters its third year, a large portion of Republicans oppose more aid.
At one point in the months of hard work to get Ukraine assistance through Congress, Trump’s opposition essentially doomed the Senate’s bipartisan proposal on border security. This week, Trump also published a social media post that questioned why European nations were not giving Ukraine more money, although he spared Johnson from criticism and said Ukraine’s survival was important.
Still, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus derided the legislation as the “Last America” foreign wars package and urged lawmakers to defy Republican leadership and oppose it because the bills do not include border security measures.
Johnson’s grip on the speaker’s gavel has also become more tenuous in recent days as three Republicans, led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, supported a “motion to vacate” that could lead to a vote on removal of the speaker. he is expected to join soon, said Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who is urging Johnson to step aside voluntarily.
The House speaker’s office has been working hard to drum up support for the bill, as well as for Johnson. He organized a series of press calls ahead of the final votes on the package, first with Jewish leaders, then with Christian groups, to show support for the speaker and the legislation he is introducing.
Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, said it was time for the United States “to do something to support Israel, combat Vladimir Putin and confront China.”
“Coming together in this way is a refreshing reminder of the old days when foreign policy had bipartisan support,” he said.
The package includes several Republican priorities that Democrats endorse, or at least are willing to accept. These include proposals that would allow the US to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations trafficking fentanyl; It is legislation require the China-based owner of popular video app TikTok to sell its stake within a year or face a ban in the United States.
Still, the all-out effort to get the bills passed in Congress is a reflection not just of politics but also of the reality on the ground in Ukraine. Top lawmakers on national security committees, who have access to classified information, have become gravely concerned about the situation in recent weeks. Russia has increasingly used satellite-guided glide bombs – which allow planes to drop them from a safe distance – to attack Ukrainian forces beset by a troop shortage It is ammunition.
“I really believe in the information and the briefings that we have received,” Johnson said, adding: “I think Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed to.”
A former ambassador to Ukraine under President George W. Bush, John Herbst, said the months-long delay in approving more American assistance undoubtedly harmed Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
But it’s not too late, Herbst added. “The fact that it is happening now means that the disaster was averted.”
