Follow us on social

What will new Speaker Johnson do about Ukraine-Israel aid?

What will new Speaker Johnson do about Ukraine-Israel aid?

The Louisiana Republican has voted against every package for Kyiv

Reporting | QiOSK

The search for a new House Speaker finally concluded on Wednesday with the fourth Republican caucus nominee Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) prevailing on the floor, earning the vote of every GOP member.

No doubt, the first major issue facing the House right now is President Joe Biden’s emergency spending bill, which includes $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.

The new Speaker has not commented on how will approach the massive funding bill. When asked about it on Tuesday evening after emerging as the Republican nominee, he told reporters that he was “not doing policy tonight.”

A legislative plan that Johnson circulated two days before clinching the Speakership names support for Rep. Mike McCaul’s (R-Texas) resolution condemning Hamas as a top priority, but he does not mention the funding package. However, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said on CNN that it was his “understanding” that Johnson was willing to bring the legislation to the floor.

While sending more aid to Ukraine has proven a key sticking point among Republicans in a series of Congressional debates in recent months, Johnson has not been outspoken on either side of the issue. In the weeks following Russia’s invasion, Johnson supported “debilitating sanctions” on Moscow and posted on X that “America stands with Ukraine.”

However, by May 2022, Johnson was one of only 57 members to vote against the first tranche of $40 billion in supplemental aid to Ukraine. He released a statement saying, “‘We should not be sending another $40 billion abroad when our own border is in chaos, American mothers are struggling to find baby formula, gas prices are at record highs, and American families are struggling to make ends meet, without sufficient oversight over where the money will go.”

He has consistently opposed aid for Kyiv since then. His voting record has earned him an “F” grade in Bill Kristol’s GOP Congressional Report Card.

Meanwhile, the packaging of Israel and Ukraine into one bill has been a divisive question in the Republican caucus, including some who are strong supporters of funding Tel Aviv and Kyiv individually.

Nine Republican Senators, led by Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) wrote a letter to Senate leadership last week urging them to consider the issues of funding for Tel Aviv and Kyiv separately.

“These are two separate conflicts and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line,” the Senators write. “Furthermore, it would be irresponsible and we should not risk a government shutdown by bundling these priorities together and thus complicating the process and lessening the likelihood of a funding package.”

The letter also notes that “22 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to the then-leading candidates to be the next Speaker of the House urging them to deny attempts to couple these issues.” The House members who have been opposed to linking the two issues will likely seek to exert similar pressure on Johnson.

Many Republicans with similar voting records as Johnson have adopted more aggressive rhetoric than he has toward Ukraine and Biden’s strategy. Given that he — like the rest of the GOP conference — has expressed unequivocal support for Israel — Johnson may be willing to bring the combined package up to a vote.

Thanks to our readers and supporters, Responsible Statecraft has had a tremendous year. A complete website overhaul made possible in part by generous contributions to RS, along with amazing writing by staff and outside contributors, has helped to increase our monthly page views by 133%! In continuing to provide independent and sharp analysis on the major conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as the tumult of Washington politics, RS has become a go-to for readers looking for alternatives and change in the foreign policy conversation. 

 

We hope you will consider a tax-exempt donation to RS for your end-of-the-year giving, as we plan for new ways to expand our coverage and reach in 2025. Please enjoy your holidays, and here is to a dynamic year ahead!

U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the new House Speaker, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Reporting | QiOSK
syria assad resignation
top photo credit: Men hold a Syrian opposition flag on the top of a vehicle as people celebrate after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted President Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi

Assad falls, reportedly fleeing Syria. What's next?

QiOSK

(Updated Monday 12/9, 5:45 a.m.)

Embattled Syrian President Bashar al Assad, who had survived attempts to overthrow his government throughout a civil war that began in 2011, has reportedly been forced out and slipped away on a plane to parts unknown (later reports have said he is in Moscow).

keep readingShow less
Russia Putin
Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks during a session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool

Peace denied? Russian budget jacks up wartime economy

Europe

On December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the budget law for 2025-2027. The Duma had earlier approved the law on November 21, and the Federation Council rubber stamped it on November 27.

The main takeaway from the budget is that Russia is planning for the long haul in its war with NATO-backed Ukraine and makes clear that Russia intends to double down on defense spending no matter what the cost. While the increased budget does not shed light on expectations for a speedy resolution to the war, it is indicative that Moscow continues to prepare for conflict with both Ukraine and NATO.

keep readingShow less
Committee Hearing: The Imperative to Strengthen America's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce
Top Image Credit: Senate Committee Hearing: The Imperative to Strengthen America's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce (YouTube/Screenshot)

Industry: War with China may be imminent, but we're not ready

Military Industrial Complex

Military industry mainstays and lawmakers alike are warning of imminent conflict with China in an effort to push support for controversial deep tech, especially controversial autonomous and AI-backed systems.

The conversation, which presupposed a war with Beijing sometime in the near future, took place Wednesday on Capitol Hill at a hearing of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entitled, “The Imperative to Strengthen America's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce.”

keep readingShow less

Election 2024

Latest

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.