The U.S. House of Representatives will finally vote on a series of foreign aid bills on Saturday, ending a months-long stalemate in Congress led by mostly Republicans who refuse to fund Ukraine’s continued military defense against Russia’s invasion.
Related: Republicans erupt into open war over the vote on the Ukraine aid package
Members of the House of Representatives will vote separately on four bills totaling $95 billion in funding – including about $26 billion in aid for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine, $8 billion for U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region and $9 billion in humanitarian aid for civilians. in war zones, such as Gaza.
The package largely mirrors the foreign aid proposal passed by the Senate in February, although the House bill designates $10 billion of the Ukrainian financing as a repayable loan to appease some Republican members reluctant to provide additional aid to approve.
If passed, the legislation will give Ukraine crucial financial longevity at a time when the country’s military appears to be at its most vulnerable since the start of the war due to dwindling supplies of ammunition and air defense missiles.
The bills are expected to pass the House of Representatives after easily clearing a key procedural hurdle ahead of the final vote on Friday. Those that pass will be combined into one package to simplify the voting process for the Senate, which will have to reapprove the proposal before it can go to Joe Biden’s desk for signature.
The procedural vote on the House package was 316 to 94, with 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans supporting the motion. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, had to rely on Democratic votes to pass the procedural motion, and he will almost certainly have to do so again to get the Ukraine aid bill across the finish line.
“It is long overdue that we stand with our democratic allies in Israel, Ukraine and the Indian Ocean and provide humanitarian assistance to civilians at risk in conflict zones like Gaza, Haiti and Sudan,” said Democratic House of Representatives Leader Hakeem Jeffries . on Friday. “The Democrats in the House of Representatives have once again paved the way for legislation that is important to the American people.”
Much of the Republican conference in the House of Representatives remains opposed to sending more money to Kiev, and Donald Trump again expressed his frustration over approving additional aid to Ukraine in a social media post on Thursday. Fifty-five Republicans and 39 Democrats opposed the procedural motion on Friday.
Johnson’s reliance on Democratic votes to pass key pieces of legislation, including a major funding bill that passed the House of Representatives last month, has outraged some far-right Republicans.
“What else has Johnson given away while begging Democrats for votes and protection?” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican of Georgia, said on Friday on X. “We no longer have a Republican majority, our Republican chairman is literally controlled by the Democrats and gives them everything they want.”
Last month, Greene unveiled a motion to remove Johnson as speaker, although she has not yet taken any steps to force a vote on the issue. In the past week, two more House Republicans — Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona — signed on as cosponsors of Greene’s motion, citing their growing frustration with Johnson’s leadership.
“We need a speaker who will put America first, instead of bowing to the reckless demands of warmongers, neoconservatives and the military-industrial complex that makes billions from a costly and endless war across half the world,” Gosar said in a statement on Friday.
If Greene goes ahead with the motion to leave, Johnson will again have to rely on Democrats’ votes to save him, as Republicans will only have a one-seat majority after Wisconsin’s Mike Gallagher steps down in the coming days. Several House Democrats have indicated they would come to Johnson’s aid if the motion to vacate office comes to a vote, and the chairman seemed undeterred by the threats to his job, which he has had for just six months fulfilled.
“I’m going to do my job and stay dug in,” Johnson told radio host Mark Levin on Thursday. “I’m not changing who I am or what I believe, and I’m going to try to guide this institution.”
