Foreign aid supplemental unveiled in House; White House supports

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., a vocal Ukraine aid advocate, said he would favor keeping the Senate in session to take up bills sent by the House. “We shouldn’t leave until it’s done,” he said. “Ukraine is out of bullets, and this should have been passed two months ago.”

The speaker’s latest proposal still appears to include stitching together the four measures before sending them to the Senate — if they can pass the House. The border security bill would be separate, likely giving Senate Democrats an excuse to bottle it up rather than take action on that piece.

Members of the rebellious Freedom Caucus had protested Johnson’s initial plan, announced Monday, in part because it lacked border security provisions. Johnson had promised for months that he would not allow for additional Ukraine aid without more U.S. border security.

‘Set up to fail’

But Freedom Caucus members who met with Johnson after the revised plan was announced appeared dug in against it. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said he wanted the border security bill tied to passage of Ukraine aid so that Democrats would be unable to block the border measure separately.

“The border is what Americans want to see fixed,” Norman told reporters. “That’s not being fixed in this. It’s set up to fail.”

Norman is a member of the Rules Committee, which must approve the parameters of debate before any package can reach the floor. Another Rules and Freedom Caucus member is Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who earlier in the day said he was a “no” vote.

“The Republican Speaker of the House is seeking a rule to pass almost $100 billion in foreign aid — while unquestionably, dangerous criminals, terrorists, & fentanyl pour across our border,” Roy wrote Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter. “The border ‘vote’ in this package is a watered-down dangerous cover vote. I will oppose.”

A third GOP Rules member, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is so incensed by the whole situation that he’s ready to join Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on a motion to oust Johnson.

Johnson said in his text message that his revised plan had been developed “after significant Member feedback and discussion.”

But by handling the border security measure under a separate rule, the bill would not interfere with the war funding package. Democrats, whose help may be needed to adopt a rule on the foreign aid bill, could vote for that rule while opposing a border security bill rule.

Johnson has only a two-vote majority over Democrats as he tries to hold most of his conference together on an aid package. That margin was due to slip to a single vote Friday, when Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., is scheduled to leave office. But in a modest break for Johnson, Gallagher, a Ukraine aid backer, would remain in office Saturday to vote for the bills, an aide said.

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(Briana Reilly contributed to this report.)

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