A leading House Republican stated on Thursday that House Speaker Mike Johnson is engaged in negotiations with the White House in preparation for the perilous task of advancing wartime funding for Israel and Ukraine through the House.
According to House Republican Leader Steve Scalise, Johnson had been in discussions with White House officials regarding a foreign security package that would differ from the $95 billion measure proposed by the Senate and incorporate a number of Republican demands. It follows months of delay by Johnson in advancing aid that would provide Kyiv with critically needed ammunition and weaponry, as he sought the optimal moment to do so in anticipation of a political upheaval.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is facing multiple challenges, including a Republican conference that is profoundly divided on Ukraine support and two presidential candidates who are at odds over the United States’ foreign policy stance. President Joe Biden has remarked on the Republicans’ failure to assist Ukraine on multiple occasions, claiming that they are doing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s bidding and jeopardizing U.S. security. In the meantime, the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, has stated that he would negotiate a resolution to the conflict while attempting to influence the United States toward a more isolationist position.
On Friday, the Republican speaker will meet with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago club of the former president in Florida. For the past few weeks, he has been consulting Trump on the Ukraine funding in an effort to gain his support or, at the very least, dissuade him from overtly opposing the package.
Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who frequently collaborates with House members, stated this week that he and Trump have had “in-depth” discussions with Johnson regarding how to advance Ukraine aid. Trump’s political support is uncertain, but Mullin stated that he hoped to secure the former president’s support for the package, particularly since Johnson’s job is in jeopardy.
Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a threat to attempt to remove Johnson as speaker and has cautioned that increasing funding for Ukraine would bolster her argument that Republican legislators should choose a new speaker.
In the interim, Johnson has engaged in discussions with the White House regarding legislation that would, among other things, structure a portion of the financing for Kiev as loans, permit the United States to access frozen Russian central bank assets, and establish a framework for accessing such funds.
Additionally, Johnson has advocated for the Biden administration to lift the export approval halt for liquefied natural gas. He has also demanded policy changes at the U.S.-Mexico border on occasion.
However, Johnson is currently encountering an open and unrestrained insurrection from a faction of staunch House conservatives who are displeased with his leadership style in the chamber. Due to his minority and limited majority, Johnson has been compelled to collaborate with Democrats in order to progress nearly all significant legislation.
Thursday, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated that a vote on the Senate’s national security measure was the “only way forward” for the House. Additionally, he hypothesized that Democrats would assist Johnson in retaining the gavel of the speaker if he did so.
Democrats, who have exerted pressure on Johnson to subject the Senate package to a vote, may also be divided on the matter, as an increasing number of them oppose supplying Israel with offensive weapons during its campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has been cautioned by the Biden administration, which would be responsible for military funding, that future U.S. support is contingent on the expeditious execution of additional measures aimed at safeguarding civilians and aid workers.