Foreign aid supplemental unveiled in House; White House signals support
WASHINGTON — Speaker Mike Johnson pulled the trigger Wednesday on an emergency aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, along with a separate bill on border security that came after a late night of negotiating with GOP members.
Appropriators released three separate bills for Ukraine, Israel, Indopacific allies and the domestic submarine industrial base totaling $95.3 billion.
The contents are similar to the Senate-passed version, with $60.8 billion for the Ukraine war effort, and nearly $26.4 billion in military aid to Israel and humanitarian assistance for Gaza. A third bill, totaling $8.1 billion, would provide nearly $4 billion in security assistance to Taiwan and other regional allies along with money to replenish depleted U.S. stocks, $3.3 billion for submarine infrastructure and more.
But there’s a key difference: Roughly $9.5 billion in economic aid to Ukraine would be structured as a loan, with repayment terms set by the president.
The repayment requirement could be waived on an installment plan, with up to 50% of the loans forgiven shortly after the November elections, and the remainder starting in 2026. But Congress would get a shot to override any presidential waiver with a resolution of disapproval that’s subject to expedited procedures, with debate limited to 10 hours in the Senate and no amendments.
President Joe Biden signaled he didn’t have any problems with the new set of bills, saying he “strongly” supports the package in a statement Wednesday.
“The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow,” Biden said. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.”
Johnson, R-LA., in a text message Wednesday morning to GOP conference members, said a fourth bill would be posted later in the day. It would include measures to seize frozen Russian assets, force the divestiture of the Chinese-owned social media app Tiktok, and impose sanctions on Russia, China and Iran, among other things.
But in a new twist, Johnson also said he would move an additional bill, handled under a separate rule, to toughen security measures at the southern U.S. border. He said the bill would contain the “core components” of HR 2, which passed the House last year over solid Democratic opposition.
Johnson said final votes on the package would occur Saturday night.
But both chambers are scheduled to be in recess next week, and it wasn’t clear whether the Senate would stay in session to take up the bills immediately.
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.