U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson looks set to push forward this weekend on a $95 billion aid bill for Kyiv, Israel and other allies, despite a firestorm of protest from hardline Republicans that could lead to an attempt to oust him.
The aid legislation is the latest in a series of must-pass bipartisan measures that Johnson has helped shepherd through Congress, including two massive spending bills and a controversial reauthorization of federal surveillance programs.
His performance, six months after the 52-year-old Louisiana Republican acquired the speaker’s gavel, has won him accolades from centrist Republicans who worry that party infighting could erode U.S. status on the world stage.
Johnson was elected speaker after a small band of hardline Republicans ousted his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, a move that brought the House of Representatives to a halt for weeks.
“He’s shown tremendous courage,” Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick told Reuters. “He’s not allowing the noise to get to him.”
The House is expected to vote as early as Saturday on the aid legislation that provides $61 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine, including $23 billion to replenish U.S. weapons, stocks and facilities; $26 billion for Israel, including $9.1 billion for humanitarian needs, and $8.12 billion for the Indo-Pacific.
