Mike Johnson's Ukraine-Israel Aid Plan Implodes as Republicans Rebel

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON—Speaker Mike Johnson’s plans for the House to move long-stalled funding for Ukraine, Israel and other overseas allies were near collapse, with some conservatives again demanding border provisions in exchange for their support, while Democrats prepared a backup plan to try to force through aid.

The setback to Johnson comes as his political powers—always limited due his narrow majority in the chamber and need to often rely on Democratic votes to pass key legislation—were at a new ebb. On Tuesday, a second GOP lawmaker signed on to a motion to remove Johnson from office, and some lawmakers said they believe his career in leadership could be effectively over, whether now or at the end of the term.

Republicans remained divided Wednesday over Johnson’s plan to send aid to U.S. allies, which comprises four bills and adds additional measures such as tapping Russian oligarchs’ assets to fund assistance for Kyiv. The speaker’s plan, unveiled earlier in the week, didn’t include any immigration policy provisions or money for securing the U.S.-Mexico border, a longstanding demand of many conservatives.

Johnson met with Republicans from all corners of his conference late into Tuesday night, trying to craft a way forward on legislation, and talks continued on Wednesday. Johnson had hoped to release the final text of the proposal, give members 72 hours to read it and then hold a vote by the end of the week, but that goal appeared to be slipping away.

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