House Republican leaders are convening an unusual meeting Monday night to discuss future direction on aid to Israel and Ukraine.
Iran’s attack on Israel over the weekend prompted an outpouring of support for the Jewish state from Republicans and Democrats, with House Republican leaders pledging to take a number of legislative actions to help Israel.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said that as the Russian invasion enters its third year, Kiev finds its stockpiles of ammunition and weapons severely depleted without further U.S. aid. , vowed to act quickly to provide some funding to Ukraine.
Three senior House Republican aides told Fox News Digital that they expect funding for Ukraine and Israel to be on the agenda at Monday night’s meeting. A fourth House Republican aide also acknowledged discussing the Iran attack.
The House will consider 17 Iran/Israel related bills this week
House Speaker Mike Johnson is scheduled to discuss the future direction of support for Ukraine and Israel in a closed House Republican conference.
House members on both sides of the aisle typically meet with their respective parties the morning after the weekly session begins, giving them time to return to Washington from across the country.
However, given the tense international situation, Prime Minister Johnson convened House Republicans on Monday at 5:30 p.m.
Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel over the weekend, most of which were intercepted.
White House and Senate leaders used the attack to put fresh pressure on Johnson to pass the Senate’s $95 billion supplemental funding bill, which includes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Prime Minister Johnson has so far passed two standalone Israel aid bills, but neither was considered by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
How can Israel respond to Iran’s brazen attacks?
But Ukraine has become a politically thorny issue for Johnson, who faces a razor-thin two-seat majority in the House of Commons and a growing number of Ukraine aid skeptics at his press conferences.
One such skeptic is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, who previously suggested she would remove Mr. Johnson from power if he brought his funding plan to the full House floor. Was.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia previously threatened to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson over his support for Ukraine. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
One of three senior House Republican aides in an interview with FOX News Digital said Mr. Johnson received pushback from lawmakers over the weekend over his proposal to combine funding for Ukraine and Israel this week. .
Nevertheless, Johnson has been promoting ideas for aid to Ukraine that have bipartisan support, including a lend-lease option that former President Trump, the de facto leader of the Republican Party, has signaled he might support. .
“We’re looking at it right now, they’re talking about it, and we’re looking at doing it in the form of a loan, not just a gift,” Trump said at a news conference with Prime Minister Boris Johnson about aid to Ukraine. Friday at Mar-a-Lago. His support would give Mr Johnson strong insulation against Ukraine’s critics, the majority of whom support the former president.
Another proposal is a bipartisan measure that would liquidate seized Russian assets and use the funds to provide aid to Ukraine. It is called the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukraine (REPO) Act.
Biden calls for G7 meeting to counter Iran’s ‘brazen’ attack
The timing of the vote, which could take place this week, was not immediately clear. Two of the four House Republican aides who spoke to Fox News Digital said they expected a vote this week, at least on funding for Israel. One of the two expected a vote on some type of Israel-Ukraine integration package that would be different from the Senate’s $95 billion bill.
The House Majority Party’s office did not list the Israel and Ukraine funding bills on its Monday morning schedule, but warned lawmakers that “there may be additional legislative items related to additional security spending.” ” he advised.
Iranian pro-government supporters raise a giant Palestinian flag in Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, to celebrate the early morning attack on Israel by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on April 14, 2024. (Photo credit: Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared on Sunday Morning Futures over the weekend and hinted that he wanted the House of Commons to take up aid for Israel for the third time this week.
“The details of that package are currently being finalized,” he said. “We’re looking at options and all of these complementary issues.”
Meanwhile, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said: NBC’s “Meet the Press” Mr Johnson said he had “made it clear” he wanted a vote in the House of Commons this week on some form of aid funding for Israel and Ukraine.
