Republican Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a plan for moving foreign aid through the House of Representatives during a closed-door meeting with Republican lawmakers. The plan includes separate bills for aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel, as well as a fourth bill combining miscellaneous national security priorities, such as a TikTok ban and the REPO Act. Johnson anticipates a vote on the bills by Friday, with the text of the bills expected early on Tuesday. The funding levels are expected to be similar to the Senate’s $95 billion bipartisan supplemental aid package, which included money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian causes like Gaza. The idea of breaking apart the Senate’s supplemental package was backed by a significant share of House Republicans, as well as fiscal hawks who may have otherwise attempted to block the bills.
There was generally more support than opposition for Johnson’s plan during the closed-door meeting, with some members urging him to include border security measures, which are not currently part of the proposal. The plan has been met with some skepticism from members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, who expressed doubt that border security measures would be included in the final deal. Caucus members also expressed concern that the funding bills would not be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, as was the case with Johnson’s original $14 billion stand-alone Israel aid bill that passed the House in November. Some members, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, criticized the focus on foreign aid rather than addressing issues like border security and military funding.
The plan to separate the aid bills into individual pieces has been seen as a good strategy by some members, with Rep. Nancy Mace expressing support for the plan and emphasizing the importance of allowing members to offer amendments. Rep. Andy Biggs also praised the strategy of dividing the bills into single subject measures. While there is generally more support than opposition for Johnson’s plan to move forward with foreign aid legislation, some members remain skeptical about the lack of border security measures and the failure to offset the funding with spending cuts. The plan to move separate aid bills for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel through the House is seen as a way to address the growing crises in these regions while navigating divisions within the House GOP conference surrounding conditions for giving aid overseas.
The shift towards individual bills for aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel comes as the situation in these conflicts grows more dire, prompting pressure for action from House Republicans. The plan to consider these bills separately, along with additional measures related to national security priorities, like the REPO Act, is intended to allow for a more focused approach to foreign aid legislation. The decision to break apart the Senate’s supplemental package reflects the preferences of a significant share of House Republicans and aims to appease fiscal hawks within the party. Moving forward with separate aid bills for key regions and national security priorities is seen as a way to address pressing issues while accommodating the various perspectives within the House GOP conference.
