In a rare move, Democrats help clear 'crucial hurdle' before Johnson's Ukraine aid package vote
Kyiv • UNN
The US House Rules Committee pushed through a package of foreign aid bills, including aid to Ukraine, with Democratic support after opposition from hardline Republicans.
The House Rules Committee late Thursday night moved forward with a package of foreign aid bills, including one for Ukraine, but only with the help of Democrats, who in a rare case supported a procedural vote amid opposition from a trio of hardline Republicans, The Hill reports, UNN writes.
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The committee, as indicated, voted 9 to 3 in favor of adopting the rule governing debate on the package, with Republicans Thomas Massie, Chip Roy, and Ralph Norman opposed.
"A successful vote allows the entire House to vote on the rule and open debate on three foreign aid bills (targeting aid to Israel, Ukraine, and allies in the Indo-Pacific), as well as a fourth bill that includes other national security priorities, such as the TikTok ban," the publication writes.
Voting on a rule - in committees and on the floor - is usually a routine event that follows party lines, with members of the majority party supporting the rule and lawmakers from the minority party voting against it. But since conservatives voted against the exclusion of aid to Ukraine and the exclusion of border security measures, the procedural vote was supported by Democrats, the newspaper writes.
The rule on foreign aid legislation allows for votes on specific amendments to the Ukraine, Indo-Pacific, and national security measures bills. However, no amendments to the Israeli bill will reportedly be considered.
The rule also includes wording that if the House of Representatives approves 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 vote on the rule marks the clearing of a crucial hurdle in the path of a foreign aid package that has drawn sharp criticism from hard-line Republicans since Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) outlined his plan on Monday," the article says.
However, as noted, "a bipartisan vote could put Johnson in an even more unpleasant position with his right wing." "Hardline conservatives have been angered by Johnson's tendency to cut deals with Democrats despite Republican criticism," the newspaper writes.
Republican House member Marjorie Taylor Green filed a motion to remove Johnson from office - the same mechanism used to remove former Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy - against Johnson late last month, but did not say when she planned to move forward with a vote on the resolution.
The GOP leadership in the House of Representatives on Thursday also reportedly voted on a separate border bill designed to appease hardliners who were disappointed that Johnson's foreign aid package excluded provisions aimed at addressing the situation on the southern border.
The U.S. House of Representatives will consider this bill on Friday, the publication says.
