Aid for Ukraine has widespread backing in Congress, but a "chaos caucus" that wants to "stop everything" opposes additional aid and may attempt to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
"Unfortunately, the chaos caucus has continued to want to stop everything that occurs in Congress," the Ohio Republican said. "It's not as if they have an alternative plan; they're just against those things that are necessary that we're doing."
Turner criticized the group of lawmakers, insisting that more aid to Kyiv in its war against Russia is "necessary for national security."
After a commitment by Johnson to bring forward supplemental funding for American allies when Congress returns from recess, Turner expressed confidence that an aid package can pass.
"The speaker has made very clear statements that when we get back, it's the next top agenda. After having just passed all the bills that fund the federal government, I believe this is going to have overwhelming support in Congress, and we'll put a bill on the president's desk," Turner said.
On the effort to oust Johnson, which has been headed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene due to criticism of his handling of government funding, Turner said that House Democratic leadership has stated clearly that they will not join House conservatives seeking to remove him from his post, which would make it difficult to oust the speaker.
Greene, a Georgia Republican, filed a motion to vacate on March 22, and the attempt to get rid of Johnson could gain momentum should the speaker bring up a vote on funding for Ukraine. But it remains unclear if there is enough political will among the House GOP conference to replace another speaker.
The already narrow Republican majority in the House has shrunk even further this year with five departures in recent months, a pattern that Turner said shows how "radical" fringes and individuals can cause disruptions in the conference.
Turner emphasized that it "certainly makes it difficult for people who just want to get the job done," but insisted that "in the area of national security, I think Speaker Johnson made it very clear that we have his support ... and I think we will" get it done.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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