The House has approved sending $60 billion to Ukraine for defense against Russian aggression, an issue that has upset Speaker Mike Johnson’s already dangerously thin majority.
The aid package passed 311-112, with more Democrats voting in favor than Republicans. Only 101 Republicans voted for the bill, and 112 voted against it.
In a dramatic moment toward the end of the vote, Democrats began displaying Ukrainian flags in violation of House protocol, according to Rep. Marc Molinaro, the lawmaker who presided over the vote. As the voting timer reached zero, cheers erupted from the left side of the aisle, Molinaro warned that flag-waving was against the rules and “inappropriate,” and Democrats jeered.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) took the microphone and scolded, “Get that DN flag out of the way,” prompting further verbal pushback from Democrats before the floor was called to order another vote. invited.
Democrats save Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid plan from Republican insurgent blockade
Lawmakers in the House of Commons are in an unusual Saturday session working to pass Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid plan, which includes an aid bill for Israel and the Indo-Pacific and other national security bills. is also included. In a decisive victory for the Louisiana Republican Party, all four bills passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.
The narrow margins within the Republican Party alone illustrate how divisive the topic of funding to Ukraine has become on the right.
More than two years ago, Johnson supported legislation that would send more money to Ukraine for its defensive war against Russian aggression. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images | Photo Credit: Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine, via Getty Images)
A growing number of fiscal conservatives are skeptical of continued U.S. financial involvement in Ukraine, while others question corruption within Kiev’s government.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s proposal to strip all funding related to Ukraine from the Ukraine Funding Act failed in a predicted 71-351 vote on Saturday.
More traditional Republicans and national security hawks have warned that a victory for Ukraine is essential to prevent a widespread conflict between NATO and Russia, and that the country’s President Vladimir Putin is in conflict with Iran and China. It warns that an “axis of evil” is rapidly forming.
Mr Johnson, like his Conservative colleagues, was skeptical about aid to Ukraine before taking over, but earlier this week he issued a sobering warning. He said: “I really believe in the information and the briefing that we have received. [Chinese President Xi Jinpimg] And Vladimir Putin and Iran are truly the axis of evil. And I think they’re aligned on this. I think Vladimir Putin would continue to march across Europe if allowed. I think he might go to the Balkans next. He could end up facing off against Poland or one of our NATO allies,” he told reporters. “Frankly, I’d rather send bullets to Ukraine than to American boys.”
Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid plan receives key House vote after Democrats help push it forward
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russian President Vladimir Putin is part of a new “axis of evil”. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
However, foreign aid, particularly support for Ukraine, could potentially shorten his term as speaker of the House of Representatives. Last month, Greene proposed a resolution for a House-wide vote calling for Johnson to resign, known as the motion to resign, protesting his cooperation with Democrats on government spending and foreign aid.
Two additional House Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), formally supported her resolution this week.
”[R]Rather than spend resources securing our southern border and combating the infiltration of 11 million illegal invaders, despite repeated promises, under the direction of the Speaker, we first secured the border, the U.S. House of Representatives. Without it, no additional funds will flow to Ukraine. is sending another $61 billion to further draw America into an endless and aimless war in Ukraine,” Gosar said in a statement Friday. I added my name to it.” Our borders are not an afterthought. ”
Tensions rise on the ground as conservatives clash with Johnson over $95 billion foreign aid plan
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who opposes aid to Ukraine, threatens to expel Prime Minister Johnson. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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“This is the third betrayal of Mike Johnson,” Greene told reporters on Saturday after the vote, citing previous government funding agreements and updates to key government surveillance tools.
She continued, “And then he took the bull by the horns on this House floor with a foreign war package that did nothing for America. It’s unbelievable that America didn’t know who this man was. I’m grateful to know what’s going on,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) acknowledged that Johnson could “possibly” lose his job for pushing forward with his foreign aid plan, but said he would “possibly” lose his job despite the risks. He praised the chairman, saying he “did the right thing.”
“We had intelligence that… if we didn’t do this right away, Ukraine was going to be in a bad situation,” Bacon said.
House leadership does not have to bring the resolution to a vote unless Greene introduces it as a “privilege,” at which point lawmakers are required to act on the resolution within two legislative days. . Green did not say when that would happen.
But some Democrats are open to saving Johnson’s job if the House passes his Ukraine aid bill.
The nearly $8 billion bill for the Indo-Pacific region passed early Saturday by an overwhelming majority of 385-34.
