During a closed-door meeting, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., presented a plan to Republican lawmakers for advancing foreign aid legislation in the House of Representatives. The plan comes amidst escalating conflicts in Israel and Ukraine, prompting the need for swift action on aid distribution while addressing internal divisions within the House GOP.
Under Johnson's proposed strategy, aid for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel would be deliberated as separate bills, with a fourth bill encompassing various national security priorities. These priorities include measures such as a potential TikTok ban, the REPO Act aimed at aiding Ukraine through seized Russian assets, and other sanctions.
Johnson anticipates a vote on the bills by Friday, with provisions for members to propose amendments once the text is released on Tuesday. The funding levels are expected to align closely with the Senate's $95 billion bipartisan supplemental aid package, which allocated resources for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
The decision to split the Senate's package into individual bills garnered support from a significant portion of House Republicans, aiming to address concerns from fiscal conservatives within the party. While some members expressed satisfaction with the plan, others, including the House Freedom Caucus, remained cautious.
Despite calls for border security measures to be included, the current proposal does not incorporate such provisions. Freedom Caucus members emphasized the importance of offsetting funding with spending cuts and expressed skepticism about the absence of border security components in the plan.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., criticized the strategy, highlighting the need to prioritize domestic issues like border security and military funding over foreign aid allocations. Greene's dissent reflects broader concerns within the Republican Party regarding the allocation of resources amidst ongoing global crises.
