Speaker Mike Johnson risks losing his job by pushing aside $95 billion aid bill for Ukraine and Israel as House races to send military and arms aid to allies

After debating whether to risk his job amid renewed threats, Chairman Mike Johnson is moving forward with a foreign aid plan that includes separate votes on money for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.

In a last-minute decision, he is adding a fifth bill that includes elements of the Republican border security law that passed last year, Johnson texted his conference Wednesday morning.

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.

President Biden said he “strongly” supports the foreign aid package. “Israel is facing unprecedented attacks from Iran, and Ukraine is facing continued bombing from Russia, which has increased dramatically over the past month,” he said in a statement.

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.

Johnson has scheduled a vote on Saturday evening to give members three days to read the text of the package – a day after the Republican Party’s scheduled last day in Congress, Mike Gallagher and his majority has been reduced to 217- 213, which means he can only lose. one Republican vote on party-line legislation.

Gallagher’s office now says he has “flexibility” to stay until Saturday.

All four bills were scheduled to be merged under the same “rule” and sent to the House of Representatives this week for final approval before moving to the Senate.

The fifth bill will come under a separate rule. That bill is an olive branch to conservatives who were furious that, after months of promising not to secure Ukraine’s border before the U.S., he had not added a border component to the foreign aid package.

Typically, only the majority party – Republicans – votes for the rule. But Johnson will need Democrats to pass the foreign aid rule, joining some in his own party on a mission to stop further aid to Ukraine.

Democrats have indicated they will support the foreign aid rule but will likely oppose the border rule.

Conservative hardliners, including Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., are unhappy with the separate vote on the border bill and have already done said they would oppose the foreign aid rule.

The House of Representatives already passed its GOP border bill, HR 2, last year and it died in the Senate. The new bill could easily suffer the same fate.

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.

Massie said Tuesday he would join Greene in her motion to remove Johnson as speaker on his foreign aid plan.

This photo taken on April 17, 2024, shows a devastated district in Mariupol, in Russian-controlled Ukraine, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Police officers stand guard at the site of a rocket attack in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine, April 17, 2024

“He’s going to lose more votes than Kevin McCarthy,” Massie told reporters of the movement to oust the speaker. McCarthy, who has close ties to Massie, was voted out of the speakership last fall by eight Republican members.

But Johnson told reporters after Massie’s threats: “I’m not resigning.” It’s an absurd idea in my opinion,” he said of the motion to vacate.

“I consider myself a wartime speaker,” Johnson said of the newly strengthened mission to oust him. “I didn’t think this would be an easy path.”

Massie returned to former Chairman John Boehner, who resigned when it became clear he would be ousted in 2015.

“I’m trying to convince him to resign, as John Boehner did at a later date.” So we have time to go to conference and choose the replacement,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters.

Massie suggested he would not privilege the resolution because it would require a vote within two days. “I have no control over the timeline,” he said. “I don’t think he’ll last more than two or three months.”

Intelligence experts have issued dire warnings that Ukraine needs urgent help in its fight against Russia.

National security-oriented Republican leaders are in Johnson’s other ear, demanding that he make aid available immediately.

“We must now approve aid to Ukraine,” said a joint statement from Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner and top Democrat Jim Himes. “Today at a classified briefing, our committee was informed of the critical need to provide assistance to Ukraine this week.”

“Ukraine’s situation on the ground is critical,” she added.

“We have no time to spare when it comes to our national security. We must pass this relief package this week,” read a joint statement from Turner, Secretary of State Michael McCaul, Chairman of the Armed Services Mike Rogers, Chairman of Appropriations Tom Cole and Chairman of Defense Ken Calvert.