Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will have to prove his juggling skills this week.
The Speaker unveiled his plan to move foreign aid through the House during a closed-door GOP meeting Monday, pitching four separate bills to address aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other national security priorities. After months of delaying any decisions on the politically prickly topic, Johnson said the text of the bills would be released “sometime early” today, and he would adhere to a House rule allowing lawmakers 72 hours to examine the bills before they’re asked to vote on them — a timeline that would keep the House in Washington at least until Friday.
The plan remains very much in flux, and there are plenty of questions swirling around the legislation, including whether the four bills would be sent to the upper chamber separately, or recombined and delivered as a single package. The maneuver highlights the urgency among many lawmakers to show solidarity with Israel in the wake of the weekend attack by Iran, while testing the determination of right-wing conservatives to block Ukraine aid.
In addition to the three foreign aid bills, The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell report that a fourth piece of national security legislation would include a TikTok ban, a provision to allow the U.S. to use seized Russian assets to assist Ukraine, a lend-lease act for military aid and convertible loans for humanitarian relief. It’s not guaranteed the Speaker would have the votes to bring the package to the floor, given the GOP’s narrow majority in the chamber and combative right wing. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has threatened to force a vote on deposing the Speaker if the House considers any Ukraine aid.
Whether Johnson can drum up Senate support for the combined package is also up in the air, as the upper chamber’s leaders are continuing to insist on their own bipartisan version of foreign aid legislation. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a Monday letter that House Republicans are “out of excuses” and must “act immediately” to pass the Senate version of the bill.
The gravely serious events of this past weekend in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress to act immediately,” Jeffries said. “This is a Churchill or Chamberlain moment. House Democrats will defend democracy and do everything in our legislative power to confront aggression. Will factions within the Republican majority continue to appease it?”
- The Hill: The White House opposes a stand-alone Israel aid bill following Iranian attack.
- Axios: House Democrats were incensed Johnson’s plan — but they are not ruling out saving it if necessary.
In addition to aid bills and national security legislation, here’s what else is on the congressional docket this week.
IMPEACHMENT: House Republican impeachment managers are set to send articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate this afternoon. The transfer of the articles will officially force the chamber to take up the matter of impeachment against Mayorkas, which has been pending since February. Senators are expected to be sworn in as jurors Wednesday.
FISA: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday took the initial procedural steps on legislation to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Section 702, setting up a battle in the Senate. The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), an outspoken critic of the warrantless surveillance program, says he will pull out all the stops to slow down the legislation. Further complicating the political dynamic is former President Trump, who has called on Congress to kill the program.
FUNDING: House Republicans are looking for a reset on government funding, putting further pressure on Johnson, write The Hill’s Aris Folley and Schnell. Deep divisions in the conference and the pressure of an election year are hurdles to the GOP’s goal of cutting spending and avoiding an end-of-year omnibus.
“I think we always have an opportunity, but I also think we’ve got some real challenges,” Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in an interview.
