Speaker Mike Johnson’s $95 billion foreign aid program passed a key test vote Friday morning, allowing House legislators to discuss its four individual components on Saturday.
In a startling departure from the current historical pattern, more Democrats supported the GOP proposal than Johnson’s fellow Republicans.
After conservative foreign aid critics switched from Republicans to try to derail the idea, Democrats defied party rules and supported the plan through a procedural obstacle known as a “rule vote.” It passed 316 to 94, with 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans voting in favor.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee that advanced the proposal on Thursday night, stated before the Friday vote that “Democrats are providing the votes necessary to advance this legislation to the floor, because at the end of the day, so much more is at stake here than petty [brinkmanship].”
The rule vote now sets up a debate on the four individual proposals, followed by amendment votes and four votes for passage on Saturday. It is extremely rare for Democrats, or any opposition party, to cross the aisle on a rule vote, but it demonstrates the urgency that members of both parties feel about giving aid to overseas partners.
The 55 Republican dissidents on this latest rule vote reflect the split House Republican Conference that Johnson is attempting to govern, with the House Freedom Caucus and its allies wielding disproportionate power for much of this term.
Three of the four bills are for Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. A fourth bill covers national security issues such as the House’s recent crackdown on TikTok ownership and the REPO Act, which would liquidate seized Russian assets and transfer the funds to Ukraine.
Johnson’s quest for overseas aid has enraged members on the right of his House GOP caucus, putting more strain on the Louisiana Republican as he navigates a historically small majority.
Earlier this week, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., threatened to remove Johnson if he did not stand down following a House vote on his foreign aid proposal. Massie has now signed on to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., motion to vacate resolution, which, if ruled “privileged” by Greene, would require the House to begin voting on Johnson’s potential expulsion within two legislative days.
During the debate before the final vote, Massie stated, “I’m concerned that the speaker’s cut a deal with the Democrats to fund foreign wars rather than to secure our border.”
Greene’s amendment to exclude all Ukraine cash from the foreign aid package is scheduled for a vote on Saturday before final passage.
