House Democrats helped Republican leaders advance legislation to provide billions in stalled security funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan on Thursday, steering the measures closer toward passage this weekend. The House Rules Committee reconvened late Thursday night and moved GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson's foreign aid bills on a 9-3 vote, thanks to the support of all four Democrats on the committee.
The three foreign aid bills would provide $26.4 billion to support Israel, $60.8 billion to bolster Ukraine, and $8.1 billion to counter China in the Indo-Pacific, including billions for Taiwan. The Israel measure also includes more than $9.1 billion to address Palestinian humanitarian needs, a key factor in securing Democratic support. A fourth bill is geared toward addressing other GOP foreign policy priorities, such as allowing the sale of frozen assets of Russian oligarchs to help fund future aid to Ukraine, potentially forcing the sale of TikTok, and authorizing stricter sanctions on Russia, China, and Iran.
President Biden has said he would sign the package into law and called on the House to pass it this week, with the Senate to quickly follow suit. Both chambers are scheduled to be in recess next week.
Speaker Johnson 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, which passed the Senate in February, has stagnated for months in the House as Johnson has debated a path forward.
Foreign aid has sown deep divisions among House Republicans, with some on the far right threatening to oust Johnson from the speakership over additional funding to Ukraine, which they oppose. Conservative hardliners on the Rules Committee, Reps. Tom Massie of Kentucky, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, and Chip Roy of Texas, all voted against the rule because border security was not being paired with foreign aid.
Johnson defended his decision on Wednesday, stating that providing Ukraine with lethal aid was "critically important." He added, "If I operated out of fear over a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job. Look, history judges us for what we do. This is a critical time right now on the world stage. I could make a selfish decision and do something that's different, but I'm doing here what I believe to be the right thing."
On Friday morning, the House is voting on whether to proceed with Johnson's $95 billion foreign aid proposal, known as a "rule vote." If successful, it will allow lawmakers to debate each of the four individual bills and vote on their final passage on Saturday. Democrats' support will be critical for the rule vote and potentially even final passage of the bills, as conservative opposition has made it challenging for Republicans to secure enough votes within their own party.
The conservative rebels have objected to some of the Israel funding being aimed at humanitarian aid in Gaza, though its inclusion was critical to winning Democratic support. In a victory for Republicans, however, the package prevents any of the Israel-Gaza funding from going toward the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), a Palestinian refugee agency alleged to have ties to Hamas.
Rep. Massie has threatened to move to oust Johnson from the speakership if he did not step aside after having the House vote on his foreign aid plans. Massie is now signed onto Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's motion to vacate resolution, which, if deemed "privileged" by Greene, would force the House to begin voting on Johnson's potential ouster within two legislative days.
