[Jimbuna]

Speaker Mike Johnson says he's planning vote on Ukraine and Israel aid with Democrat support as pressure mounts

Speaker Mike Johnson revealed that he expects the House to hold a standalone vote on Israel and Ukraine aid as pressure builds from the Senate after it passed foreign aid package last month.

He insisted he would not be pressured to rush the Senate package to the floorm as the White House says Ukraine's need for defense aid is urgent to keep Russian President Vladimir Putin at bay.

'We will work the will of the House,' Johnson said during a fireside chat at the House GOP retreat.
'No one wants Vladimir Putin to prevail,' he went on. 'I'm of the opinion that he wouldn't stop in Ukraine. If he was allowed, he would go all the way through Europe.'

'I understand the timetable and understand the necessity of the urgency of the funding,' the speaker said, adding that the House would not work through foreign aid until the government funding fight for fiscal year 2024 is completed.

'I think it is a stand-alone, and I suspect it will need to be on suspension,' Johnson later told Politico of foreign assistance.

Suspension requires a two-thirds majority and wide Democratic support. Johnson uses the procedure when he can't pass a rule for legislation, since passing the rule relies on Republican-only votes.

Congress has spent months at an impasse over further aid for U.S. allies - as the rightward flank of the House has even begun to threaten to motion to vacate Mike Johnson from the speakership if he puts further Ukraine aid on the House floor.

Another vote in the House would be the third go at aid for Israel.

The House first passed $14 billion in aid for Israel, but it was offset by cuts to the IRS - killing it in the Democratic-led Senate. And after last month a vote on a stand-alone Israel aid bill failed, Johnson declined to bring it up again.

Earlier this month the House passed its first tranche of six funding bills combined into one package. Another funding deadline looms on March 22 for the next six funding bills.

All 12 appropriations bills were supposed to be passed before the start of the fiscal year on October 1.

Johnson has seemingly backed down from demanding border security before passing Ukraine aid.

He mentioned border security in comments about foreign aid, but did not lay out any clear line demanding it in exchange for the money.

'It's difficult to explain to some people around the country that were "securing the border" of the European nation when our own border. It's wild,' Johnson said.

'The fact is that the President has not yet taken executive action.'

In December of last year, Johnson had explicitly told the White House: 'Supplemental Ukraine funding is dependent upon enactment of transformative change to our nation’s border security laws.'

The Senate's $100 billion foreign aid package included border provisions in addition to money for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. But House Republicans shunned the package, arguing it was more about immigration reform than securing the border.
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