Johnson unveils ambitious path forward on Israel and Ukraine aid to break standstill

The House will move forward with a proposal to vote on four separate funding bills in an effort to advance aid to Ukraine and Israel after months of deliberation among lawmakers. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) unveiled the plan to House Republicans on Monday, proposing to split foreign aid into four separate bills focusing on Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and then a fourth that includes other defense measures to “strengthen our national security.” The plan is to combine all four bills into a single rules package before bringing them to the floor for individual votes, according to the speaker. 

It’s expected the bills will be brought to the floor through an open amendment process, allowing lawmakers to propose adding other measures before the legislation is finalized. After that, whichever bills advance through the House will be transferred to the Senate. 

It’s unclear whether the bills will be sent to the Senate as a package or as individual pieces of legislation. 

The proposal marks the first time Johnson has announced a plan to move forward with foreign aid since the Senate passed its own supplemental bill earlier in February. That legislation sought to combine aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, a proposal that Johnson deemed “dead on arrival” in the House.