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Israel, Ukraine aid to receive US House votes this week

Erik Wasson and Billy House, Bloomberg News on

Published in News & Features

Speaker Mike Johnson plans separate U.S. House votes this week on new aid to Israel and Ukraine, in an attempt to assemble fragile coalitions to speed weaponry to both besieged allies.

The move could end a months-long Republican blockade on help for Kyiv while also responding quickly to Iran’s missile and drone attack in Israel over the weekend.

“The world is watching us to see how we’ll react,” Johnson said Monday, as he announced the plan.

The maneuver taps urgency among many U.S. lawmakers to show solidarity with Israel in the wake of the attack while testing the determination of ultraconservatives to block Ukraine aid. Hardline Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has threatened to force a vote on deposing the speaker if the House considers any Ukraine aid.

Greene said Monday night she hasn’t decided whether to proceed with an overthrow attempt.

The speaker’s decision to vote on Ukraine aid greatly boosts the chances of resolving a congressional impasse that has dragged on since October, when President Joe Biden requested emergency assistance for Kyiv’s fight against a Russian invasion.

 

Splitting the aid into separate packages could ease passage. Ultra-conservatives have balked at Ukraine spending, which has been widely supported by Democrats. Progressives, meanwhile, oppose funding to Israel without restrictions but have pushed to get Ukraine needed aid quickly.

The Republican packages are still being drafted. A tentative summary indicates military aid totals mirror the aid in the $95 billion Senate bill, minus the humanitarian assistance in that measure. Humanitarian assistance will come in the form of loans and could be tied to GOP priorities like speeding natural gas exports in a separate bill.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said early Monday evening Republicans hadn’t yet informed him of provisions in the legislation so he couldn’t comment on potential Democratic support.

Republican Representative Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, head of the Republican Study Committee, the largest group of House conservatives, said Johnson is “doing the right thing.”

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