On Friday, the House made progress on a bill to provide assistance to Ukraine and other embattled U.S. allies, overcoming a key hurdle with the help of Democrats. This was an unusual move by the minority party, but it was necessary to move the package forward despite strong opposition from conservatives.
The chamber approved the foreign aid rule with a 316-94 vote, allowing discussion on a group of bills that combine military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan with humanitarian assistance to Gaza and other global war zones. This successful rule sets up the final approval of all four measures, with separate votes scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
Advancing this legislation brings Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) closer to passing a controversial foreign aid package that has been the subject of intense debate within the Capitol and his conference for months. There have been strong warnings from lawmakers, U.S. officials, and foreign figures that Kyiv’s forces urgently require more U.S. assistance.
However, the bipartisan vote is likely to further anger Johnson's right-wing supporters, who have criticized the package for the large amount of Ukraine aid and the exclusion of border security. They have also long opposed the Speaker's tendency to collaborate with Democrats to advance key priorities, including foreign assistance now.
Revealing these internal tensions, three Republicans on the House Rules Committee voted against the rule on Thursday night, and 55 conservatives voted against it again on Friday morning. The House Freedom Caucus released an official position urging all Republicans to oppose the rule. official position Thursday urging all Republicans to oppose the rule.
The internal opposition to what has historically been a standard procedural matter has become its own routine this Congress, as conservatives have pushed GOP leaders to advocate more strongly for Republican priorities. This dynamic led to the removal of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in October.
Despite the drama, Johnson's position seems secure for now. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has introduced a resolution to remove the Speaker, but she has not announced when she plans to call for a vote on it. Even as she criticized Johnson's handling of the Ukraine debate, she stated that she is not yet ready to bring her resolution to the floor.
“I’m not acting out of emotions or rash feelings or anger,” Greene said. “I’m doing this the right way, and I’m allowing my conference to see exactly what I saw months ago.”
Supporting Johnson, former President Trump endorsed the Speaker during a recent appearance at Mar-a-Lago, providing a significant vote of confidence. This has complicated Greene’s efforts to remove Johnson from his role.
Lending Johnson a huge boost – and perhaps a job-security lifeline — former President Trump threw his support behind the Speaker during a joint appearance at Mar-a-Lago last week, a vote of confidence that has muddied Greene’s path forward in her ouster effort.
Even if she does push for a vote to remove Johnson, Democrats are likely to intervene and prevent it. Several Democrats have indicated in recent months that they would defend the Speaker from a conservative takeover if he provides aid for Ukraine. Some have even suggested that there are dozens of Democrats who support this position.
During Friday's vote on the rule, Democrats provided last-minute support, which was not unexpected. President Biden had endorsed the foreign aid package earlier in the week, and the four Democrats on the Rules Committee voted late Thursday night to advance the package through the panel, despite the opposition of three committee conservatives.
However, the support from the Democrats was remarkable. It is uncommon for members of the minority party to assist majority leaders in passing procedural rules. The only other time Democrats supported Republicans in advancing legislation on a procedural vote this Congress was in May, when they backed a rule to begin debate on the debt limit bill crafted by Biden and McCarthy.
Friday's bipartisan vote to advance the foreign aid package, as well as Johnson's decision to risk his gavel to bring it to the floor, demonstrate the sense of urgency felt by leaders in both parties as Ukraine faces a shortage of weapons supplies and Israel is under threat from Iran.
