The Senate is expected to consider the foreign aid measures early next week, and President Biden is expected to sign the package.
In a statement after Saturday’s votes, Biden thanked the House for coming together “to answer the call of history, passing urgent national security legislation that I have fought for months” .
With chants of “Ukraine!” and blue and yellow flags flying on the House floor, all Democrats present and a minority of Republicans broke a months-long legislative logjam and approved $60 billion in aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia . The vote was 311 to 112, with all those opposed coming from the more conservative wing of the GOP conference.
The Ukrainian funds come at a key time for the country in its war against Russia, as the Pentagon warns that without help from the United States – the country’s biggest military benefactor – Ukraine would gradually cede ground to the forces Russians and would find themselves faced with staggering difficulties. victims. It’s also a major victory for Johnson — despite threats to his job — as he increasingly leads a coalition of more traditional House Republicans and Democrats to pass high-priority legislation .
At Saturday’s Democratic meeting, one member proudly shouted that the party effectively controls the majority since Democratic support kept the government funded and reauthorized U.S. spy agencies to monitor threats foreign.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) spoke shortly before Saturday’s vote. votes to announce bipartisan cooperation, pointing to Johnson by name.
“House Democrats have risen to the occasion, President Biden has risen to the occasion, traditional conservatives led by President Mike Johnson have risen to the occasion,” Jeffries said.
Providing aid to Ukraine is also a major rebuke of former President Donald Trump. Trump has long criticized Ukraine while repeatedly sympathizing with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and has told advisers he would settle the war by letting Russia keep land it has already seized. He pushed to turn aid to Ukraine into a loan, prompting Republicans to include a loan condition in Saturday’s legislation, with some reservations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X that he was “grateful” to the House, “both parties and personally President Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on track.”
Johnson, who has moved on the Ukraine issue, was defiant in his decision to move forward with funding the foreign ally in a bipartisan manner, even though there was “criticism of the legislation.” .
“It’s not a perfect law. We don’t have that guarantee in a time of divided government and a time where there are many different opinions,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) celebrated the development, saying the chamber “finally advanced this essential investment in the strength of our alliances and partnerships, the credibility of our commitments, and the ability to our own armed forces to defend America. and deter aggression.
The House also overwhelmingly passed $26 billion in funding for Israel and $9 billion in humanitarian aid, some of which will go to Gaza, in Saturday’s votes, days after Israel conducted a strike against Iran in retaliation for the missiles and drones launched by Iran last time. weekend.
Twenty-one Republicans opposed the bill, joining 37 Democrats, many of whom voted against the measure, even though it contained humanitarian aid for Gaza because it removes funding for a United Nations agency capable of deliver aid to the region. The United States defunded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency after American and Israeli intelligence found that 12 of the agency’s 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the Hamas cross-border attack on October 7.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the aid was “much appreciated,” writing on X that it “demonstrates strong bipartisan support for Israel and defends Western civilization.”
The House also overwhelmingly approved sending $8 billion to Indo-Pacific allies as they face threats from China, by a vote of 385 to 34. All those who voted against the measure were far-right Republicans.
The House also passed a measure full of bipartisan priorities, including potentially banning TikTok and seizing Russian assets. to resell to Ukraine and condition the aid to Ukraine which takes the form of a loan.
“Unlike the Senate’s blank check, the House legislation has a number of very important features. It provides greater accountability for aid to Ukraine,” Johnson said. “We gave our members a voice. We gave them a chance. We gave them a better process and, ultimately, a much better policy. »
House Republicans have become increasingly reluctant to send money to Ukraine, arguing that U.S. funds are better spent on domestic issues such as control of the southern border. Johnson also introduced a tough bill to crack down on immigration at the southern border, but it failed after three hardline Republicans rejected a procedural motion in the House Rules Committee.
Johnson took a risk in moving forward on the aid package, aware that it could prompt Greene to speed up consideration of her motion to shelve it. But he decided to move forward earlier this week, emphasizing that the United States faces a critical moment in its history to step in and help its allies fight dictatorships in an effort to preserve democracy.
“I don’t walk around this building worrying about a motion to vacate. I have to do my job,” Johnson said after the vote. “I have done here what I believe to be the right thing to allow the House to enforce its will.”
Greene’s motion to oust Johnson this week gained support from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.). That’s enough to oust the president now that Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) has resigned and the Republican majority has shrunk to one seat. That is, unless the Democrats decide to come to Johnson’s rescue, a possibility they are seriously considering because he acted on aid to Ukraine.
Greene said she decided not to introduce her motion Saturday because she wanted her Republican colleagues to hear from their constituents and for lawmakers to discuss whether to keep Johnson once he returns to Washington on next month.
“I think every American in this country should be furious. Who will vote for these people? How to vote for these people? They are not serving our country,” she said of fellow Republicans who supported funding Ukraine.
Massie said he still hoped Johnson would “announce his resignation so that we are not left without a speaker for a while.” If Johnson did not do so, he predicted the president would be ousted before the end of the year.
“He’s a lame speaker. We are trying to keep the House. There’s a reason his fundraising is less than half of Kevin McCarthy’s… it’s because no one wants to meet a lame speaker,” he said. “We need to have someone in our office who can be re-elected on January 3, 2025. And maybe people here don’t want to admit it, but it’s obvious to me that he won’t make it not.”
Asked Saturday if he thought he would still be president by November, Johnson said simply: “Yes.”
Jacqueline Alemany and Tobi Raji contributed to this report.
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