The House on Saturday passed a nearly $95 billion foreign-aid package, including humanitarian assistance for Gaza and other war zones, after months of fighting in Congress over the aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
In February, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected a Senate-passed foreign-aid package, promising a more conservative version.
The legislation ultimately put forth preserved a significant portion of the initial Senate legislation but adds on a number of Republican national-security priorities, including new sanctions on Iran, efforts to reduce the impact of the aid package on deficit spending, and a potential ban on TikTok.
The package was split into four separate pieces, with aid for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific, and the Republican national-security priorities, each receiving their own vote, allowing lawmakers to go on record in favor of aid they support while rejecting aid they oppose.
The Ukrainian aid supplemental passed in a 311-112 vote, with the support of 101 Republicans and 210 Democrats. As Democrats waved Ukrainian flags, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene booed and Lauren Boebert yelled. Representative Anna Paulina Luna took to the microphone and said, “Put those damn flags away.”
Meanwhile, the Israel aid supplemental passed 366-58, with support from 193 Republicans and 173 Democrats. The Republican national-security bill passed 360-58. The Indo-Pacific bill passed 385-34, with Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) voting present.
The package includes nearly $61 billion for Ukraine, including about $23 billion that would be used to replenish U.S. weapons, stockpiles, and facilities and $11 billion to fund current U.S. military operations in the region. Another $14 billion would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons systems and other defense equipment.
Before Saturday, it had been 484 days since the Houses passed Ukraine aid. At the time, Democrats controlled the chamber.
“There are precipitating events around the globe that we’re all watching very carefully,” Johnson said on Monday in announcing the vote. “And we know that the world is watching us to see how we react.”
Most rank-and-file House Republicans are aligned with Johnson’s mainstream, Reaganite Republican view that sending additional aid to Ukraine is the only morally defensible position for the GOP, even as many self-described defense hawks continue to voice frustrations over President Joe Biden’s refusal to clearly articulate what success in the conflict should look like.
But this year’s slim and fractious House GOP majority has given outsize leverage to anti-interventionist Republicans on Capitol Hill who are skeptical of U.S. engagement overseas.
“Not another dollar to Ukraine,” Boebert told NR on Tuesday “We have an invasion at our southern border and I don’t give a rip about sending more money to Ukraine right now.”
The package further includes $26 billion for Israel, including $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile-defense systems, $4.4 billion to replenish defense items and services provided to Israel, $3.5 billion for the procurement of advanced weapons systems and other items through the Foreign Military Financing Program, and $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance.
Finally, it allocates more than $8 billion for Indo-Pacific security, including $2 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan and other key allies and $1.9 billion to replenish defense items and services provided to Taiwan and regional partners.
Earlier on Saturday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber has a “tentative” agreement to vote to advance the House foreign-aid package on Tuesday.
But back in the House, Johnson’s decision to advance the bill could have consequences as several Republicans have threatened to support a motion to vacate the speaker: Greene and Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona.
“The swamp tasked Mike Johnson with three betrayals of America: 1) pass an omnibus that spends more than Pelosi’s omnibus 2) reauthorize domestic spying without warrants 3) send $100 billion to wars around the world,” Massie wrote in a post on X on Friday evening. “He completed 1 & 2. 3 comes tomorrow. He should step down.”
Greene introduced a resolution to oust Johnson last month, and reports indicated she could file a privileged motion to vacate as early as Saturday, setting up a vote on the measure for when the House returns from a weeklong recess.
Johnson, who has said he will not resign, would need support from Democrats in order to stave off any attempts to oust him, as Republicans have a narrow majority in the House.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether Democrats would step in to save Johnson.
“We’re working right now to get the national security legislation over the finish line. Once that’s completed, we’ll take up any other matters,” Jeffries told CNN’s Manu Raju.