House Speaker Mike Johnson's foreign aid plan has thrown his conference into turmoil and led two Republicans to launch an attempt to oust him from the House. Johnson will now try to pass five bills - one each for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific allies, as well as a GOP wish list of foreign policy priorities.
The new approach is risky and could be fatal for the speaker. His six-month term is threatened by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Georgia) promise to file an "eviction motion" to oust Johnson if he puts Ukraine aid on the table, something that many right-wingers have criticized Republicans reject. Johnson was visibly emotional when asked why he decided to pass the foreign aid package at this time. "This is a critical time now.... I can make a selfish decision and do something else. But I'm doing what I believe is the right thing here," he said at a press conference. The three separate bills funding military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan largely mirror the $95 billion for national security passed by the Senate. The House legislation converts some of the aid, money going directly to Ukraine, into a loan and is championed by former President Donald Trump. It also includes just over $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, the West Bank, and Ukraine and other areas in need. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) urged Republicans on Wednesday night to put the foreign aid package up for a vote, but did not pledge Democratic support for the measures. Johnson indicated on Wednesday evening that there would likely be an amendment to the package to cut humanitarian aid, which he described as "concerning." Some GOP senators also strongly oppose Ukraine aid. At a closed meeting of the conservative House Republican Study Committee on Tuesday, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), and Stephen Miller, a former Trump adviser, fired up the anti-Ukraine caucus to clear every possible hurdle to review Johnson's plan.