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Rule for emergency aid bill adopted with Democratic support

David Lerman, CQ-Roll Call on

Published in News & Features

WASHINGTON — The House adopted a rule Friday to take up a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, in a bipartisan show of support that likely paves the way for passage Saturday.

With scores of Republicans opposed to Ukraine aid and furious that a border security measure was left on the sidelines, Democrats took the unusual step of backing a procedural rule from the majority party to ensure that long-stalled aid would pass.

The 316-94 vote for the rule signaled solid support for the four separate bills that make up the aid package, which also includes measures to increase sanctions on adversaries and force the divestiture of the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, among other things.

Democrats provided slightly more support for the resolution than GOP lawmakers did, outnumbering Republican “yea” votes by a count of 165 to 151. There were 55 GOP “nay” votes to 39 on the Democratic side.

The rule’s structure allows members to vote for the pieces they like and against those they don’t, which helped bring along Democrats opposed to funneling unconditional military aid to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, for instance.

Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said he had concerns with that approach himself, but nevertheless it was time to act on the broader package to help key allies and stand up for democracy.

 

“People around the world are counting on this country to stand up and lead,” McGovern said during debate. “The eyes of the world are on this body.”

But the decision to take up a Ukraine aid measure, after months of hesitation, posed a threat to Speaker Mike Johnson’s hold on power. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has threatened to pull the trigger on her resolution to oust Johnson from the speaker’s chair if a Ukraine measure advances.

The need for bipartisan support was made clear Thursday when the Freedom Caucus, made up of 30 to 40 rebellious conservatives, announced its opposition to the rule. Republicans control the House with only a two-vote margin, so Democratic support is required to offset dozens of GOP defections.

Critics of the aid package and the rule enabling its passage said it represents another unfunded installment in a continuing overseas conflict America should extricate itself from. If any additional aid should be considered, it ought to be paired with tough border security restrictions, they argued.

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