(Washington) In rare bipartisan momentum, the US House of Representatives on Friday advanced a $95 billion support package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid, as a strong coalition of elected officials made it possible to overcome a procedural obstacle to move towards the final votes at the end of the week in the Senate.
Friday’s vote produced a result rarely seen in a usually hyperpartisan lower chamber: Democrats actually overwhelmingly allowed Republican President Mike Johnson’s plan to advance, by a 316-94 vote. Final approval from the House could come in weekend, before the file is sent to the Senate.
So it’s a victory for the strategy Mr Johnson put in place this week after two months of agonizing over the bill.
Yet he has had to spend the last 24 hours making the rounds in conservative media trying to drum up support for war financing — particularly for Ukraine, as it faces a critical juncture in its fight against Russia. But he also had to secure his own position, while several Republicans want to oust him.
PHOTO J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson
After months of delay, the House therefore worked slowly but surely once Mr Johnson decided this week to move forward.
President Joe Biden quickly endorsed the House speaker’s plan and, in a rare moment, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who opposes most foreign aid to Ukraine, did not derailed Mr. Johnson’s efforts.
“The world is watching what Congress does,” the White House said in a statement. Passage of this legislation would send a powerful message about the strength of American leadership at a pivotal moment. »
In an extremely rare move, members of the House Rules Committee joined forces Thursday evening in a vote around midnight. The four Democrats supported a procedural step to counter the three opponents of the Republican majority and send the bill to the House, by a vote of nine to three. We have not seen this in recent memory in the House of Representatives.
Mr. Johnson will have to rely on Democrats again on Friday to approve the next procedural vote and reject amendments proposed by Republicans, which could kill the bill as a whole. One of those amendments, from radical Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, would cut spending on Ukraine to zero.
PHOTO MATT ROURKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene
Mme Greene filed a motion to oust the president and she attracted a few more Republican supporters Friday.
Mr. Johnson ultimately succeeded in subdividing a version of the bill passed by the Senate, as requested by House Republicans, and the final votes will be on separate measures — for Ukraine, for Israel and for allies of the Indo-Pacific.
The bill would also include a fourth provision that would repeat many Republican priorities that Democrats support, or at least are willing to accept.
These include proposals allowing the United States to seize frozen Russian central bank assets to rebuild Ukraine; impose sanctions on Iran, Russia, China and criminal organizations that traffic fentanyl; and potentially ban the TikTok app if its China-based owner does not sell its stake within a year.