By Patricia Zengerle, Richard Cowan and David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives will consider aid to Israel and Ukraine as separate legislation this week, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said on Monday, more than two months after the Senate passed a bill combining the two.
Leaving a meeting of House Republicans on Monday evening, Johnson said the narrowly divided chamber would consider a total of four bills that would also include aid to Taiwan, U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific and U.S. national security priorities.
“We know the world is watching us to see how we respond,” Johnson told reporters. “They are looking at whether America will stand up for its allies and in our own interests around the world. And we will do that too.”
U.S. aid has been delayed by Johnson’s reluctance to consider a bipartisan $95 billion bill that the Senate passed in February, including $14 billion for Israel and $60 billion for Ukraine.
Billions were also included for strengthening allies in the Indo-Pacific, where China is becoming more assertive, and for international humanitarian aid.
Johnson said the new House bills provide about the same amount of foreign aid as the Senate bill, but have differences, including some aid in the form of a loan.
Republicans aim to release the bill as early as Tuesday morning, but will observe a 72-hour review period before voting. Johnson said the vote on passage could come late Friday.
The push to approve the aid took on urgency after Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel last weekend, despite fierce opposition in the deeply divided Congress.
Three of the four bills Johnson proposed would concern Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. The composition of the fourth was not immediately clear.
Supporters had maintained that the broad foreign aid measure that passed with 70% support in the Senate would have received similar support in the House of Representatives. However, Johnson had given several reasons for delaying, including the need to focus taxpayer dollars on domestic issues and an unwillingness to take up a Senate measure without more information.
Johnson is also facing a threat from far-right Republicans to oust him as chairman if he allows aid to Ukraine to progress. Many on the right, especially those closely associated with former President Donald Trump, who was skeptical about assisting Kiev in its fight against Russia, are strongly opposed to sending billions more dollars to Ukraine.
The House Freedom Caucus — a group of Republican hardliners with about three dozen members — released a statement Monday calling for aid to Israel, but not Ukraine, and rejecting any suggestion that the attack on Israel should help pave the way if “fake” was rejected. for more money for Kiev.
Rep. Andy Biggs, a member of the Freedom Caucus, told reporters he liked the idea of separate bills but needed to see them before committing to voting for them.
DEFENSE INDUSTRY IS WATCHING
The issue is being closely watched by the industry. U.S. defense contractors could be in line for major contracts to supply equipment to Ukraine and other U.S. partners if the additional funding goes through. Aid advocates emphasize that passing the Ukrainian law would create many American jobs.
The White House has pressured Johnson to allow a vote, as have Republicans and Democrats in the Senate. “If Republicans in the House of Representatives were to override the Senate spending supplement bill, I believe it would pass today, be on the president’s desk tonight, and Israel would get the help it needs tomorrow has,” said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate. Monday.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told his fellow lawmakers: “It is also time for Congress to make the urgent investments that our industrial base, our armed forces and our partners will need to address the growing and related to confront and defeat threats we face.”
The House of Representatives’ top Democrat, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, sent a letter to his caucus on Monday outlining the need to support both Ukraine and Israel.
“The gravely serious events of this past weekend in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress to take immediate action. We must immediately take up the bipartisan and comprehensive national security bill passed by the Senate,” Jeffries wrote.
Ukraine on Monday again appealed to its allies for “extraordinary and bold steps” to provide air defenses to defend against waves of Russian airstrikes that have hit its energy system in recent weeks.
(This story has been refiled to add the missing word ‘to’ in the headline)
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Lincoln Feast.)
