Four new bills and plenty of opposition

GOP leadership in the House of Representatives unveiled the text of four foreign aid bills on Wednesday afternoon, promising also to release an accompanying border security measure.

The publication of the bills sets up a Saturday afternoon vote as Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., works to unify a shrinking two-seat GOP majority. Caught between having to capture the unanimous support of Republicans or win over a few Democrats, Johnson seems poised to go against the most vocal factions of his party to attempt passing international aid.

The bills, which add up to a combined cost of $95 billion, would provide about $26.4 billion in aid to Israel, $60.9 billion for Ukraine, and $8.2 for U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific. The proposals include $5.6 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza. Some of the aid for Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific would be provided conditionally as a loan. The president may cancel up to 50 percent of that total debt at his discretion. The bill also includes language that would allow the United States to seize Russian assets to pay for some of the aid.

“I thank the speaker for his thoughtful leadership on this issue,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “Equivocating is not an option, and each bill will be given distinct attention and consideration. I look forward to supporting them and providing our allies and partners with the tools they need to defend themselves. America must stand firmly on the side of freedom.”

For months, the House Freedom Caucus, a coalition of the most conservative members of the House, has demanded Johnson use foreign aid as leverage to secure improvements to security at the U.S. southern border. They know that any substantive border security bill would face stiff resistance in the Democratic-controlled Senate and ultimately fall short of becoming law. Freedom Caucus members now say Johnson has knowingly set up border legislation to fail by presenting it in a separate bill from foreign aid.

“To be clear, [the speaker] will seek Democratic support to send money overseas while walking away from months of promises to put Americans first to secure the border. This is a total and complete failure,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said in a post on X, the website formerly known as Twitter.

Johnson spoke in defense of the bill at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon.

“The Ukraine piece, for example, 80 percent of the money that would be allocated is for the replenishing of our own weapons and stocks,” Johnson said. “This is something that makes sense. … I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys.”

Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky are sponsoring a motion to remove Johnson as speaker, partly due to frustration over his willingness to work with Democrats. When asked about possibly losing his role as speaker over the Ukraine aid and other provisions Republicans take issue with, Johnson said he wasn’t troubled by the opposition.

“This is not a game, this is not a joke. I’m going to allow an opportunity for every single member of the House to vote their conscience and their will on this. And I’m willing to take a personal risk for that,” Johnson said.

Making Johnson’s task even more daunting, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., previously announced plans to step down from office on Friday, one day ahead of the scheduled votes. Gallagher might extend his time in Congress past the weekend, but if not, Johnson could be leading by a one-seat margin when the proposed bills hit the floor, further increasing his reliance on Democrats.

House Democratic leaders haven’t officially said whether they will support the bills or the procedural votes needed to bring them to the floor. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said he wouldn’t rule out helping Johnson overcome GOP objections. He added that the decision would turn on whether the final bills include humanitarian aid for Gaza.

“We stand willing to work with anyone who wants to deliver on that help and support,” Aguilar said Tuesday.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday he supports the bills.

“The House must pass the package this week, and the Senate should quickly follow. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed,” the White House said in a statement.