Speaker Mike Johnson faces huge test to pass $95 BILLION in aid to Israel and Ukraine
Speaker Mike Johnson faces one of the toughest weeks of his career as pressure mounts on him to pass a foreign aid package that could prompt his removal from office.
Following Iran‘s drone and missile attacks on Israel over the weekend, Congress is getting calls to green-light billions of dollars for the Jewish country that has been embroiled in conflicts with Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Saturday night salvo of over 300 missiles and drones and was Iran’s first direct attack on Israel in history. Now, U.S. leaders see delivering aid quickly as vital to supporting the country’s anti-missile and anti-drone defense systems.
The Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid package that provides money for Israel in February, but the Republican-held House has not touched the measure as many conservatives don’t want to dole out money abroad before passing southern border security legislation.
Meanwhile, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has set in motion the process to remove Johnson, and has warned him against putting the Senate’s bill up for a vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing pressure from the left and right to quickly pass foreign aid money for Israel after the country was attacked by Iran over the weekend
Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday in response to Israel’s April 1 bombing of an Iranian consulate in Syria
Further, the White House has also been adamant in calling for Congress to get moving on the foreign aid deal.
‘We are going to continue to make sure that Israel can defend itself,’ National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday on Fox News.
‘We got to make sure that they have what they need and that’s why we need that supplemental passed in the House so quickly.’
And the Biden administration has made clear it is against a bill that would provide funding for Israel only.
‘We are opposed to a stand-alone bill that would just work on Israel, as we’ve seen proposed,’ Kirby said Monday. ‘We would oppose a stand-alone bill.’
In total, the supplemental package includes roughly $60 billion for Ukraine, $14 billion for Israel and $4.83 billion to support partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan.
The White House and Pentagon have repeatedly pushed the package, citing Russia’s recent frontline gains and Iran’s missile attack as signals that the money needs to be delivered quickly.
‘The best and fastest way to meet our commitments to our ally Israel, and to our partner, Ukraine, is for the House to pass that bipartisan bill which which passed in in the Senate,’ Kirby said Monday.
Johnson, who met with Donal Trump last Friday at Mar-a-Lago, has also said he wants to get foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel.
The speaker told Fox News on Sunday that he and the former president ‘are 100 percent united on these big agenda items.’
And Johnson’s alliance with Trump on the path forward for foreign aid could dissuade Greene from trying to remove the speaker for putting the Senate’s foreign aid package up for a vote.
‘When you talk about aid to Ukraine, [Trump’s] introduced the loan lease concept, which is a really important one, I think has a lot of consensus as well as these other ideas – the REPO Act, which we’ve discussed, which is seizing the the assets of corrupt Russian oligarchs to help pay for this resistance,’ Johnson said.
‘I think these are ideas that I think can get consensus, and that’s what we’ve been working through.’
‘We’ll send our package, we’ll put something together and send it to the Senate and get these obligations completed,’ the speaker said Sunday.
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense batteries were activated Saturday to shoot down the incoming Iranian projectiles.
But when the House will be ready to move on foreign aid is still up in the air.
The House is expected to reconvene Monday evening for votes, but foreign aid, as of Monday morning, is not currently on the docket. Although it is expected to be added at some point this week.
And some members want the foreign aid deal to be passed before Tuesday.
Just under 100 members of the House sent a letter to Johnson to get moving on the Senate’s $95 billion foreign aid package, arguing if he does that the legislation could be passed within 24 hours.
‘This weekend, the Iranian regime launched hundreds of drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles directly against our key, democratic ally in the Middle East, Israel,’ the lawmakers wrote.
‘Time is of the essence, and we must ensure critical aid is delivered to Israel and our other democratic allies facing threats from our adversaries around the world.’
‘We urge you to put the Senate Supplemental Aid package on the floor for an immediate vote when we return on Monday.’
‘This aid package passed the Senate with 70 votes, Democrats and Republicans, and we can send it to the President’s desk for signature Monday night.’
Israeli anti-missile systems shoot down incoming Iranian missiles and drones on Saturday
The bipartisan letter was spearheaded by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C. It was also signed by 90 other House members mostly from the Democrat caucus.
The top appropriator in the House, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., has signaled there is a desire among House Republicans to get Israel funding moving quickly.
Still, when and how the House will allocate additional money for Israel and Ukraine is unclear.