WASHINGTON – The House is working in a rare Saturday session to approve $95 billion in foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
Before the vote, the House entered into a somber but serious debate with an unusual sense of purpose, as Republican committee chairmen and top Democrats on the panels joined together to demand quick passage that would ensure the United States supported its allies and continue to be a leader on the world stage. .
“The eyes of the world are upon us and history will judge what we do here and now,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The weekend scene presented a stunning show of congressional action after months of dysfunction and gridlock fueled by Republicans, who hold the majority but are deeply divided over foreign aid, especially to Ukraine as it struggles against Russia’s invasion. . House Speaker Mike Johnson, putting his job on the line, is counting on Democratic support to ensure the military and humanitarian package is approved and aid flows to US allies.
There will be a series of votes on three aid bills, for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, as well as a fourth that contains several other foreign policy proposals, including a crackdown on the popular social media platform TikTok.
If the vote is successful, the package will go to the Senate, where approval in the coming days is almost guaranteed. President Joe Biden has promised to sign it immediately.
“Sometimes, when you are living through history, as we are today, you don’t understand the meaning of the actions of the votes we take on this House floor, the effect that it will have on the future,” said the New York congressman. … Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee “This is a historic moment.”
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, struggled for months over what to do, first demanding that any assistance be tied to policy changes to the U.S.-Mexico order, only to immediately reject a bipartisan offer from the Senate. in the same sense. .
Reaching an endgame was a painful task for Johnson, one that 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 Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, practically 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 main foreign policy priorities – stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advance 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.
“We have a responsibility, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, to defend democracy wherever it is at risk,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, from New York, during the debate.
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 nominee, has stood out in the fight, intervening from afar through statements on social media and direct phone calls with lawmakers while tilting the Republican Party toward a more isolationist stance with his “America First” approach. place”. ” policy brand. 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, Trump’s opposition essentially doomed the Senate’s bipartisan proposal on border security. Last 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. Right-wing figures, she is also being joined by a growing number of lawmakers, including Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who is urging Johnson to step aside voluntarily, and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.
The speaker’s office has been working furiously to drum up support for the bill, as well as for Johnson, R-La. 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.
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; and legislation that requires 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 suffering from troop and ammunition shortages.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
