Lawmakers have fled Washington for a two-week break after finally passing legislation to fund the government this fiscal year.
When they return, all eyes will be on the House of Representatives to see how Speaker Mike Johnson handles the increased pressure on aid to Ukraine.
Johnson said in a statement Friday that the next two weeks at home will be used for “active discussions” about border legislation and passing a bill to reform the FBI’s controversial spy tool (FISA), and that they will “take the necessary steps to tackle this problem’. foreign aid.
The Senate has passed a $100 billion additional funding bill that included $60 billion for Ukraine, but Johnson is unlikely to adopt it in its current form.
“We have done important work discussing options with members – such as the REPO Act, loans, additional sanctions and energy exports, among other measures – and are preparing to finalize our action plan,” he said.
When they return, all eyes will be on the House of Representatives to see how Speaker Mike Johnson handles the increased pressure on aid to Ukraine
Ukrainian experts work at the site of a damaged building after a rocket attack in Kiev, Ukraine, March 25, 2024
Ukraine insists it is quickly running out of ammunition to continue the fight against Russia and last week’s $300 million credit package was already left before the bill was even passed.
Here are some factors Johnson should consider in a House bill to get Ukraine across the finish line:
He would risk his job for Ukraine
Last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to unseat Johnson, and she has already threatened to take action and possibly force a vote on it if the speaker brings up more aid for Ukraine.
But this time, it is likely that Democrats could spare Johnson and vote to table the resolution if he sidelines Ukraine, which they widely support.
Johnson would likely lose conservative capital if he did this, but he knows he is dealing with an unruly conference whose right-wing members seem to be constantly moving the goal post.
“No one wants Vladimir Putin to triumph,” he said earlier this month during the Republican Party’s retreat at the House of Representatives. ‘I believe that he would not stop in Ukraine. If he were allowed, he would go all the way through Europe.’
Discharge petition
Johnson could allow a resignation request led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., to move forward. Fitzpatrick is working with a handful of moderates in both parties to tackle a bill he authored.
Their bill provides $66 billion in defense-only assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and new border security provisions that would last a year, and includes some Trump-era border provisions such as Remain in Mexico.
Through a discharge petition, Fitzpatrick could capture support from the far right, bypassing Johnson to force a vote in the House of Representatives if he gets a simple majority of signatures.
So far, his petition has just 16 signatories, and a Democratic-led effort has 191. But the petition would lose to the hard right on financing Ukraine and the hard left on financing Israel.
A Ukrainian rescue worker works at the site of a damaged building after a rocket attack in Kiev, Ukraine, March 25, 2024
Seizure of assets
Under the REPO Act, some have pushed for Russian assets to be seized, rather than just frozen, and repurposed for Ukraine.
After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian foreign exchange reserves of the US and its allies – worth more than $300 billion – were frozen. This means that ownership of the assets will not change, but Russia will not have access to them.
The US, the European Union, the G-7 and Australia have frozen about $280 billion in Russian Central Bank assets, much of it in the form of securities and cash. Sanctions on Russian nationals have frozen another $58 billion in assets, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.
The US, UK and Canada are all in favor of seizing the assets. But France, Germany and the European Central Bank have expressed concern about possible Russian retaliation and a precedent it would set for international law.
Export ban on liquefied natural gas
Republicans are fighting a ban on liquefied natural gas exports after Biden said in January he would pause application approvals to analyze the economic and environmental impact.
It comes at a time when that fuel is in high demand in Europe and Asia, especially as many try to avoid purchasing Russian fuel.
“This pause on new LNG approvals sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time,” Biden said at the time.
Lend-Lease Programs and Loans
Providing defense equipment under Lend-Lease means that it is intended to be returned if it is not destroyed in the war.
Funds could also be loaned to Ukraine with the promise that they would be repaid in the long term.
Boundary provisions
Johnson has often said that the US must secure the borders of a distant country before securing its own.
House Republicans notably killed the original Senate foreign aid bill that addressed the border — arguing that its provisions amounted to immigration reform, not border security.
Fitzpatrick’s proposal includes some conservative border provisions that would likely deter some Democrats.
The House bill also includes a “Remain in Mexico” provision that would revive the Trump-era policy of requiring migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico until their claims are processed.
Another provision requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend all entry of “inadmissible aliens” if the department loses operational control of the border at any time.
The bill also gives immigration officials the authority to immediately deport those they deem inadmissible without further hearing or review.
But the speaker has also said he believes the fastest way to stem the flow of migrants at the border is for Biden to take executive action.
Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian facilities
Johnson could have funding for Israel and the Indo-Pacific region attached to Ukraine, or try to pass it separately, but he does previously identified this month he would take them apart.
The Senate bill lumped them all together and included defense and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, and humanitarian aid for Gaza.
To approve any foreign aid, Johnson would have to set it aside under suspension, which would require a two-thirds majority and significant Democratic support.
No Israeli aid would pass the House of Representatives without humanitarian aid to Gaza to attract Democrats. But some budget hawks are wary of such provisions.