The US House of Representatives will vote this week on an aid bill for Israel and Ukraine, US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday, after months of delays due to pressure from his party’s right wing.
“This week, we will consider separate legislation with a structured and relevant amendment process to… fund our ally Israel, support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, strengthen our allies in the Indo-Pacific, and authorize additional measures to fight our enemies and strengthen our national security,” Johnson said in X.
US aid has stalled in a divided Congress, with Johnson – an ally of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump – blocking an earlier $95 billion aid bill that US President Joe Biden requested for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. This bill has been approved by the Senate.
“We will not vote on the Senate supplement in its current form,” Johnson told reporters on Monday, referring to the $95 billion package, “but we will vote on each of these measures separately in four different parts .”
Earlier, Tuesday, the White House rejected a bill that only contained aid for Israel.
“We will not accept a stand-alone bill. A stand-alone bill will not help Israel and Ukraine,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference.
Johnson is walking on a knife’s edge regarding aid to Ukraine, as Trump and right-wing lawmakers in the House have grown increasingly skeptical of funneling billions of dollars to Kyiv’s resistance to invading Russian forces.
Ukrainians in recent months have grown increasingly frustrated with delays in aid from the West, including air defenses they say are urgently needed to repel Russian attacks. (AFP/Z-3)
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