As Congress departs Washington to begin their spring recess, many Democrats see circling the wagons around Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., as their best hope in salvaging aid for Ukraine, the Hill reported Thursday.
As the weather warms and a fresh Russian offensive appears imminent, Ukraine’s ammunition and weapons are in shortly supply. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed the desperate need for additional U.S. aid if they hope to mount any meaningful defense.
Johnson has indicated he will urge his Republican colleagues to get onboard and approve the tens of billions in wartime funding that sits idle as Congress departs until mid-April. Speaking at news conference last week, Johnson told reporters, “We'll turn our attention to it, and we won't delay on that.”
Yet some hardline conservatives in the ranks are opposed to any foreign aid package that does not address the chaos at the U.S. southern border. Last Friday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., filed a motion to remove Johnson due to his support of the $1.2 trillion spending bill.
As a result of this internal clash, many Democrats see shielding Johnson as their only hope in keeping aid flowing to Ukraine.
“If the choice is between Ukraine aid and providing a vote to stop a motion to vacate, or no Ukraine aid, I think there’s a lot of Democrats who would be willing to assist in getting it done,” Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told The Hill by phone.
Himes, the senior Democrat on the Intelligence Committee said he will rally around House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., when it comes to which approach to take. Yet, Himes also conceded coming to Johnson’s aid might be the best solution to see the foreign aid bill cross the finish line.
“So given the fact that ‘absolutely everything’ for lots of Republicans doesn’t include taking the massive political risk of signing a discharge petition — which nobody’s ever heard of half a mile away from the Capitol dome — I think that the speaker putting the bill on the floor, and our insulating him from the tender mercies of Marjorie Taylor Greene, is probably the only option.”
The new Democrat strategy is vastly different from the last time Republicans removed one of their own from power. In October, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was relieved of his speaker duties with the help of unanimous Democrat support. This time however, many in the opposition party are inclined to support the Speaker.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. told The Hill that he would likely protect Johnson if doing so meant helping Ukraine.
“If you’re telling me Speaker Johnson comes out with a bill that’s going to stand by Ukraine and Israel, do humanitarian aid for … Palestinians in Gaza, and then there’s a motion to vacate him over that, no, I’m not gonna support that,” Moskowitz said.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.