LOS ANGELES.–House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said today he would advance separate foreign aid funding bills to the House floor where’s it’s certain to pass, handing 81-yar-old President Joe Biden the $95 billion he requested for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and other miscellaneous purposes. Johnson has been threatened by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) with a vote to vacate, much the same way as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) when he was ousted Oct. 3, 2023 causing a free-for-all until the House settled for Johnson Oct. 25, 2023. Johnson, himself, opposes Biden’s attempt to refund the Ukraine War, no matter all the arguments of how Ukraine is close to losing its war with the Russian Federation. Yet Biden and Ukraine’s 46-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky have been told there is no military solution to the Ukraine War, only a political one.
Biden and Zelensky have pressed hard for another $61 billion in funding, to replenish Ukraine depleted military,
prompting 65-year-old CIA Director William Burns to say, without urgent U.S. funding, Ukraine could lose the war by year’s end. That was the same Bill Burns who said his vaunted intel tells him the Russian military was near collapse in 2022. That was the prevailing CIA narrative during 2022 and 2023 before it became obvious to anyone but the biggest Ukraine War cheerleaders that Ukraine was losing the war. What happened to all of Burn’s predictions about the imminent collapse of the Russian military? Burns statements, of course, were all pure propaganda as they are today, saying that giving Ukraine $61 billion more in arms-and-cash would salvage the war. Burns actually knows, just like 65-year-old former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Miley, there’s no military solution.
Putting Biden’s foreign aid spending bills up for a House floor vote guarantees that it passes with flying colors. House conservative Freedom Caucus members see the light when it comes to the Ukraine War. They want no part in anymore funding, knowing what Miley said is true, that there is only a political solution to the war. Yet, it’s not Johnson’s fault that the vast majority of the Republican caucus, for whatever reason, backs Biden’s urgent calls to get Ukraine another $60 billion. One thing’s for sure, Ukraine will eventually run out of cash again, prompting the same kind to pressure tactics on the next House Speaker to get Ukraine more cash. No one with any logical analysis thinks that giving Ukraine another $61 billion will defeat the Russian Federation. Yet the mood in the House and Senate is to kick the can down the road, supplying Ukraine more cash-and-arms.
Johnson has agreed, whatever Greene or others try to do to oust him, to follow the overwhelming consensus in the House to give Ukraine its $61 billion, regardless of the outcome. Johnson would like personally to end the Ukraine War through peace talks but he’s not in the Democrat or GOP majority. If Greene or others go ahead with a notice to vacate vote, Johnson will be forced to deal with the consequences. Whatever clout former President Donald Trump has with House conservatives, he would prefer to see Johnson stay in place. Johnson hasn’t decided yet whether to advance the omnibus Senate bill or advance separate appropriation bill to the House floor. Either way, there are plenty of votes needed for them them pass, either way. It’s vital for the future of Ukraine, for Israel and the West,” said Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for Johnson to bring the spending bill to the House floor.
Johnson has been pressured to put the $95 billion Senate bill up for a vote on the floor. “The reason why the Senate bill is the only bill is because of the urgency,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “We pass the Senate bill, it goes straight to the president’s desk and you start getting the aid to Ukraine immediately. That’s the only option,” Meeks said, knowing that Johnson finds himself squeezed by everyone. Democrats sure haven’t offered to save his job should he put the Senate bill up for a floor vote. “I’m one of those who would save him if we can do Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine and some reasonable border security,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar (R-Tx.), encouraging Johnson to not fear a notice to vacate vote. Johnson has some big decisions to make before he returns to Washington for a weekend vote.
Johnson doesn’t have much choice trying to reflect the will of the GOP in Congress, moving forward on Biden’s request for $95 billion in foreign aid. Whether or not Johnson agrees with funding Ukraine or not, the vast majority of House and Senate Democrats and Republicans want to pass the $95 billion foreign aid bill, regardless of how it adds to 2024 federal budget deficit now at $1.6 trillion. Biden doesn’t know how he’s going to pay the nearly $1 trillion price tab for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore Harbor. But Biden has no problem giving Ukraine another $60 billion, even though there’s no accountability or certainty about the outcome. Biden convinces enough in the U.S. House and Senate to believe that 74-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to take over Europe. Whether that’s true or not, he’s got Congress backing the Ukraine War.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
