A meeting to advance Speaker Mike Johnson’s latest border security bill abruptly ended on Wednesday night without a vote on whether the measure will hit the House floor. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, expressed opposition to what he called a 'cr---y rule' that he believed was a mere show vote for funding Ukraine instead of focusing on border security.
Rep. Roy is one of three Republican foreign aid hawks on the House Rules Committee, which serves as the final barrier before legislation reaches the House floor. Conservative rebels within the House GOP conference have criticized Speaker Johnson for not linking border security measures to his $95 billion foreign aid plan.
Speaker Johnson informed lawmakers on Wednesday that the House would consider separate foreign aid bills for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and a fourth bill encompassing various foreign policy provisions. In response to concerns from Republicans regarding the border crisis, he unveiled a separate bill similar to H.R.2, a comprehensive immigration and border enforcement bill passed by House Republicans last year.
During the meeting, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the committee, acknowledged that the bill lacked support from Democrats and was unlikely to succeed in the Senate. He noted that the three conservative rebels on the panel were also expected to vote against the bill.
Despite efforts to address Republican discontent, the meeting ended without a resolution. Foreign aid, particularly aid to Ukraine, has become a contentious issue for Speaker Johnson as he navigates a narrow House majority and potential challenges from fellow Republicans.
Johnson has emphasized the importance of keeping U.S. border measures separate from foreign aid, citing concerns about losing Republican support if the two are linked. He expressed frustration over the lack of votes needed to pass legislation that combines border security and foreign aid.
Originally planning for a Saturday vote on foreign aid bills and the border security measure, the chaos of Wednesday evening's events has cast uncertainty on the schedule moving forward.
