Is the House in order?
Get by with a little help from friends
Politicians, as a group, don’t do a lot of this kinda stuff early in the mornings. But the Senate passed a foreign aid bill—with money for Ukraine and Israel—before we got to work yesterday. It was heartening to read the news: Congress can get its work done! At least one-half of it can. The next half? We’ll see.
The Senate passed a $95.3 billion aid bill to help Ukraine and Israel fight off their enemies—who have also made clear their disdain for Americans. This money probably isn’t going to make or break Israel in its fight against Hamas, but Ukraine is a different matter. Without Western aid, Ukraine has virtually no chance in a long war against Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Everybody understands that. Especially Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
“History settles every account,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “And today, on the value of American leadership and strength, history will record that the Senate did not blink.”
Will the House?
The speaker of the House isn’t much more than a mouthpiece for former president Donald Trump, who in the last few weeks helped kill a deal tying border security at the Mexico-United States border to foreign aid for Ukraine. All he had to do was post a message or two on social media, and U.S. representatives followed along (probably scared to death Mr. Trump would find a nickname for those who ignored him).
Now Donald Trump demands any aid to Ukraine be given only as loans. And if Congress approves something like that, surely Mr. Trump will find another demand to make. Can’t have any wins for the United States while Joe Biden is in office, doncha know.
For his part, Speaker of the House
Mike Johnson said the Senate’s foreign aid bill should have had border provisions included in it.
Um, didn’t he have that very thing last week? Until he and his team, including Trump, killed it?
The good news, or one part of the good news: The bill passed the Senate 70-29, after 22 Republicans helped push the bill to the House. So there are still Republicans in Congress who vote for the national interest, not just what they see from some quarters on social media.
Whether the speaker will put the bill to a vote is still to be seen. But The Washington Post reports:
“There are efforts underway to go around Johnson and pass the bill through a Democratic-led discharge petition. Democrats need to gather at least four signatures from Republicans supportive of Ukraine funding to be able to introduce the petition, which probably wouldn’t happen until the end of the month, given the congressional calendar.
“Its path would still be tricky in the House, given that some Democrats have objected to the Israeli government’s handling of the war in Gaza, where most homes have been destroyed or damaged, more than 12,300 children have been killed, and a quarter of the population is starving, according to the United Nations. Enough Republicans would need to support the bill to make up for those Democrats who would not vote for the bill over the aid to Israel.”
NB: The Senate bill also would send billions to Gaza to help the humanitarian crisis there. Apparently, senators have their souls to think about, too.
The Senate found 22 Republicans who would help allies and friends. And potential friends. Will the House?
cc: Arkansas’ congressional delegation