Why Mike Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Steve Scalise

Johnson's plan to fund Ukraine and Israel is facing Republican opposition

(Image credit: Julia Nikhinson / AFP via Getty Images)

published 17 April 2024

What happened

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), after months of inaction on a Senate-passed bill to fund Ukraine and Israel, proposed breaking the bill into four parts that would be voted on separately then reassembled for Senate consideration. But that plan was reportedly unraveling Tuesday night amid strident opposition from Republicans opposed to aiding Ukraine, which is enduring heavy bombardment and losing ground to Russia as it awaits Western artillery shells and missile defense.

"I am not resigning," Johnson said, dismissing Rep. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) "absurd" call for him to step down or face ouster. "Democrats would probably be there" to save Johnson's speakership, especially if he delivers on Ukraine, said Brendan Buck, an adviser to two former GOP House speakers, to NPR. But being a "Republican speaker who has Democrats to thank for your job" is a "very tough place to be" politically.

The Senate package "would easily pass the House" and reach President Joe Biden's desk "immediately," and Johnson was "leaning toward" putting it up for a vote before Iran attacked Israel on Saturday, prompting "far-right and anti-Ukraine" Republicans to agitate for Israel-only funding, Josh Rogin said at The Washington Post. Johnson's "complicated and risky gambit" to pass four bills is an attempt to "placate his far-right base" but the Senate should pass it quickly, "if it gets that far."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.