After Long Delays, US House To Vote On Aid Bills For Israel, Ukraine

New Delhi: United States House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday introduced a complex plan for providing aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan during wartime. Johnson announced that the Republican-led House would finally vote this week on aid legislation for Ukraine and Israel, following several months of delays and pressure from the right-wing. 

Speaker Johnson posted on ‘X’ about the next step, “This week, we will consider separate bills with a structured and germane amendment process to: Fund our ally Israel, Support Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression, Strengthen our allies in the Indo-Pacific (and) Pass additional measures to counter our adversaries and strengthen our national security,” the tweet read. 

I have just spoken with the @HouseGOP conference on my plan to address national security supplemental legislation on the growing security crises.

This week, we will consider separate bills with a structured and germane amendment process to:

•Fund our ally Israel
•Support… — Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) April 15, 2024

The Republican Speaker met with other Republican lawmakers on Monday evening to discuss his plan to get the House to agree to the funding package. With some conservatives strongly against helping Ukraine, Johnson aims to streamline the process by having one debate but separate votes on aid for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and other foreign policy measures. 

Iran's recent missile and drone attack on Israel has reignited pressure on House Republicans to act on the national security package. This comes after Speaker Johnson spent the last two months contemplating how to navigate political divisions within the House to move the package forward. 

As per report by news agency AP, While the House has been slow to take action, conflicts worldwide have intensified. Israel's military leader stated on Monday that they would retaliate against Iran's recent missile strike. On the other side, Ukraine's military leader warned over the weekend that the situation in the eastern part of the country has deteriorated significantly in recent days, as warmer weather has enabled Russian forces to launch a fresh offensive. 

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden who is currently hosting Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at the White House, urged the House to promptly consider the funding package passed by the Senate. He said, " They have to do it now.”