165 Democrats save Speaker Mike Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid package from being tanked by disgruntled GOP hardliners as Congress gets one step closer to sending critical assistance to Ukraine and Israel

In an exceedingly rare move, Democrats came to the rescue on Friday, advancing a group of four bills to provide $95 billion in aid to US allies around the world.

About 165 Democrats voted along with 151 Republicans to approve a rule and begin a debate on the $95 billion financing package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. There were 55 Republicans who opposed the rule.

Conservative hardliners have paralyzed business in the House of Representatives by opposing the historically mundane procedural rule this Congress voted to adopt. They have thwarted Chairman Mike Johnson’s agenda seven times with this tactic.

House Democrats, led by Hakeem Jeffries, helped Republicans pass the rule

The majority party is usually responsible for adopting the rule. The minority party usually votes ‘no’ to the rule of initiating a debate on legislation, even if they support the final passage of the bills.

The only other time Democrats helped Republicans with a rule vote was to raise the debt ceiling and prevent a US default under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and by much smaller margins. Only 52 Democrats voted for the debt ceiling, and only 29 Republicans opposed it.

“In the cloakroom, a lot of Democrats said, ‘Wait, what if the situation changes if we get one Republican vote on a rule?'” top intelligence chairman Jim Himes asked reporters.

The House of Representatives can now begin debating and voting on amendments to a package of four bills that are part of the $95 billion foreign aid package.

A final vote on the four bills is scheduled for Saturday, after which they will be sent to the Senate.

Ahead of Friday’s vote, Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters that classified intelligence briefings on Ukraine had a “major impact” in influencing Johnson’s decision to put the foreign aid bill to the vote.

Johnson hesitated for months before bringing up foreign aid.

The package would provide a total of $26 billion to Israel, $60 billion to Ukraine and $8 billion to the Indo-Pacific, a combination of military and humanitarian aid. It consists of four separate bills, including one for each region.

The Israeli security law will provide $4 billion to supplement Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense system and billions more for weapons systems, artillery and ammunition, as well as another $2.4 billion for U.S. operations in the region.

Nine billion dollars of that bill will go to humanitarian aid for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Firefighters and rescuers work at the site of the Russian missile attack, extinguishing a fire and rescuing people from the rubble of a residential building damaged by Russian shelling on April 19, 2024 in Dnipro, Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers of the assault brigade inflict fire damage with a 120mm mortar while supporting infantry assault operations on April 19, 2024 in Ukraine

The Ukrainian bill includes $23 billion to replenish U.S. supplies depleted by the fight in Russia. About $11 billion would go to U.S. military operations in the region and $14 billion would go toward the purchase of advanced weapons systems. Another $26 million would go toward oversight and accountability for equipment given to Ukraine.

Two separate economic aid funds worth $7.85 billion and $1.58 billion would also be offered to Ukraine under a loan structure. The president has broad control over the terms of the loan and could forgive half of it after November 15, 2024, and the other half after January 1, 2026.

A fourth bill includes several measures, such as requiring TikTok to be divested from Chinese parent company ByteDance, an effort to obtain seized Russian assets and a military aid loan program to Ukraine.

The fourth bill contains a provision related to the REPO Act, which means the seizure of Russian assets that have so far only been frozen, and a provision related to the Lend-Lease Act, which would require the return of US military assets that have not been destroyed. at war.

Johnson noted that much of the bill will not go directly to any country but will replenish U.S. supplies that have been depleted for Ukraine and Israel. The US was deeply involved in defending Israel against Iran’s 300 rocket attacks this weekend.

In line with conservative hardliners, the House of Representatives will vote immediately after foreign aid on a border security bill with parts of the already passed, exclusively conservative HR 2 border bill.

Members and allies of the right-wing Freedom Caucus were angry that Johnson had long said he would not secure the Ukrainian border before securing the U.S. border, but now appears to have made good on that promise.

Johnson has suggested that securing the border is largely an executive authority dependent on President Biden.

Intelligence officials have alerted members of Congress to Ukraine’s urgent need for U.S. aid. CIA Director Bill Burns warned Thursday that Ukraine “could lose on the battlefield by the end of 2024.”

Johnson resisted White House calls for months to bring Ukraine aid to the House of Representatives, reluctant to do so knowing it could lead to his resignation. Now his days could be numbered.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., launched a motion to evict last month and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has now co-signed the effort amid frustrations with the foreign aid plan. Other right-wing members have flirted with the idea.

Greene could make the motion “privileged” at any time, which would force a vote on Johnson’s impeachment within two legislative days.

On Friday, Johnson was spared another day: Greene did not withdraw her motion and stormed to her car after the rule vote, refusing to discuss the speaker’s ouster with reporters.

Democrats gave Johnson rare praise for what they saw as “doing the right thing” and bringing up the relief bills despite what it could mean for his career.

“I don’t agree with the speaker on anything politically, but I also think he has integrity,” Himes told DailyMail.com after the vote on the rule. “I think he’s become something of a leader.”

Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., called the members who oppose the rules “cancer” for his party, naming Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Bob Good, R-Va., and Matt Gaetz, R- Fla., in comments to reporters.

On Wednesday, Van Orden called Gaetz “tubby” and Gaetz called him a “squish” and said he was “too stupid” to tie his own shoes.