The House Rules Committee advanced a package of foreign aid bills late Thursday night — but only with help from Democrats who, in a rare move, supported the procedural vote amid opposition from a trio of hardline Republicans.
The panel voted 9-3 to adopt the rule, which governs debate on the legislation, with Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) resist the effort.
The successful vote allows the full House to vote on the rule and open debate on three foreign aid bills — sending aid to Israel, Ukraine and allies in the Indo-Pacific — plus a fourth that includes other national security priorities, such as a TikTok ban .
Rule votes – in committee and on the floor – are typically mundane events, with members of the majority party supporting the rule and lawmakers in the minority party voting against it. But with conservatives voting against the rule in opposition to aid to Ukraine and the exclusion of border security measures, Democrats crossed the aisle to support the procedural vote.
The foreign aid law rule allows voting on specific changes to Ukrainian, Indo-Pacific, and national security measures. However, no amendments to the Israel bill will be considered.
Also included in the rule is language saying that if the House passes each of the four bills — they will receive separate votes — they will be combined and sent to the Senate as one package.
Thursday night’s successful line votes mark a crucial hurdle for the foreign aid package, which has drawn intense criticism from hardline Republicans since the GOP chairman took over. Mike Johnson (R-La.) unveiled the outline of his plan on Monday.
The legislation includes $26.38 billion for Israel, $60.84 billion for Ukraine and $8.12 billion for allies in the Indo-Pacific. The fourth national security law includes a ban on TikTok in the US if the platform’s parent company doesn’t sell it, language to send some of the new Ukrainian aid in the form of a loan, and a provision allowing the government proposes to seize Russian assets to cover the costs of rebuilding Ukraine.
However, the bipartisan vote could land Johnson in more hot water with his right flank. Hard-line conservatives have rebelled against Johnson’s tendency to make deals with Democrats over criticism from Republicans — a dynamic that has become necessary in the closely divided House of Representatives but continues to anger conservatives.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion to unseat Johnson — the same mechanism used to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — late last month, but she has not said when she would intends to force the elections. a vote on the resolution.
Massie announced earlier this week that he would sign the legislation as a co-sponsor.
Republican Party leadership in the House of Representatives also decided Thursday to vote on a separate border bill aimed at appeasing hardliners frustrated that Johnson’s foreign aid package excluded provisions to address the situation at the southern border.
The House of Representatives will consider this bill on Friday under a suspension of the rules process, which eliminates the need to first approve a procedural rule but also requires two-thirds support.
The leadership initially tried to get the bill through the mainstream, but opposition from conservatives in the Government Committee thwarted those plans.
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