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Politico: House Speaker Johnson says he expects to take up Ukraine aid with Democratic votes

US House Speaker Johnson says he expects to take up Ukraine aid through a suspension calendar, a process needing a two-thirds majority vote in the House.

byYuri Zoria

15/03/2024

2 minute read

The Congress of the United States. Photo: president.gov.ua

Politico: House Speaker Johnson says he expects to take up Ukraine aid with Democratic votes

US House Speaker Mike Johnson told Politico he expects to pass future Ukraine assistance with Democratic votes, acknowledging resistance to new aid within the GOP. Johnson said aid to Ukraine and Israel could come up as one bill or even two separate bills.

The foreign aid package has been stalled since last fall due largely to opposition from the far-right Republicans in the US Congress, suspending military assistance that Kyiv badly needs to fight Russia. The Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill, including $60+ billion for Ukraine, last month with bipartisan support, yet Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson made clear he wouldn’t give it a vote on the House floor, stating on 14 February that the House will not feel “rushed” to pass the package.

According to The Hill, on 13 March, Johnson said the House would send legislation to aid Ukraine, however, it would differ significantly from the $95 billion foreign aid package passed by the Senate last month.

Politico says the Speaker stated he anticipates it would happen using the House’s suspension calendar, which requires a two-thirds majority to approve legislation on the floor – meaning Johnson would need a substantial number of Democratic votes. He has taken this approach with many contentious measures so far in his speakership.

Johnson ruled out attaching the foreign aid to a larger spending bill, saying,

“I don’t think leaders of either side of the aisle think that’s a viable option.”

These comments represent the clearest move Johnson has made to commit to a floor vote on Ukraine aid that he had stalled earlier. His own party has significant disinterest in any new funding for Kyiv’s war efforts against Russia.

CNN had previously reported Johnson was weighing a stand-alone Israel aid bill. The administration and officials warn Ukraine is running out of ammunition, adding pressure on Johnson to act on assistance.

Earlier this month, CNN reported that US House Speaker Mike Johnson, who blocked the Senate’s Ukraine aid package, was discussing a bipartisan aid package with House Republicans, including US-Mexico border restrictions, as House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul was leading efforts for potential floor action by late March or April.

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