Speaker of the House Mike Johnson brings foreign aid bills for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan to the House Floor. Speaker Johnson's job is now at risk due to threats from within his own party by members members who opposed this legislation, which led to the dismissal of the previous Speaker, Kevin McCarthy. The threats come from a coalition led by Rep. Majorie Taylor Green and other far-right GOP members.
Over the previous days, Speaker Johnson has been more vocal about the need for aid to Ukraine and other regions. This matter has become a dividing point among members of the Republican party, especially those who are close supporters of the former President and current nominee for President Donald Trump. Speaker Johson remarked earlier that "If Ukraine does not receive this support this it requires to defeat Russia's outrageous assault on its soverign territory, the legacy of this Congress will be the appeasement of a dictator, the destruction of an allied nation and a fracture Europe."
The US House passed legislation that approves $95 billion in foreign aid in Various forms that support Israel in its conflict against Hamas in the Gaza region and Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia. As well as Taiwan and the indo-pacific region against further Chinese dominance of the region
The US House passed the first Bill, 311-112, which gave Ukraine $60 billion in military aid. $10 billion comes in the form of an economic assistance loan, which can be foreign to the President as early as 2026. IT also included an amendment to begin the process of selling seized Russian assets to help pay for this legislation. Other highlights include $3 Billion in allocations for missiles, $5 Billion in allocations for ammunition, and $500 Million to be used for the assistance of refugees caused by the war.
All 112 votes in opposition to the Bill came from the Republican Party and included Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep Lauren Bobert, among other far-right members of the GOP.
The US House passed the Second Bill 366-58, which gave Israel $26 billion in aid. Among the nay votes were 21 Republicans and 37 Democrats who opposed further actions taken by the state of Israel in Gaza. Among them include Democratic Rep Rashid Talib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Pramilla Jaypal. Who have all referred to Israel's actions within the Gaza region as genocide and have been vocal in their opposition to how the Biden administration has handled its relationship with Israel over the course of the conflict
The $26 Billion in aid is mostly intended for military spending in aid but includes $5.6 billion in disaster relief funds for the affected regions and $3.5 Billion in Migration and Refugee Assistance for displaced persons in the region.
The third Bill allocates $8 billion in aid to the Indo-Pacific Region, specifically Taiwan. The Bill mostly intends to increase military spending to protect Taiwan against increasing aggression by its neighbor China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory. Notably, the Bill includes $2.1 billion in allocation intended for Taiwan's navy to acquire a Columbia Class and Virginia Class Submarine.
The amendments to the Taiwan Bill included the so-called "TikTok ban," which would require the Chinese Company ByteDance to sell the popular social media platform or see the app banned in the United States.