Speaker Mike Johnson says House will move separate funding bills for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
New York PostApr 16
Speaker Johnson Unveils Plan for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan Military Aid
The Facts
Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), the US House speaker, on Monday unveiled a lengthy proposal to send US military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, as well as other foreign policy proposals including seizing Russian assets and banning TikTok from the US.
The move deviates from a Democrat-led plan, passed in the Senate in February, which would have allocated $95B of US funds for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan, among other items, in one fell swoop. Johnson's plan tables the matters separately, allowing the different factions to vote based on their preferences.
The Spin
Republican narrative
Rep. Mike Johnson's approach here is the right one to take. By splitting up items into individual portfolios, members of Congress will each be able to vote on the matters that best serve the interests of each of their individual constituencies. This was a courageous move by the House speaker.
Democratic narrative
Rather than trying to vote through the Democrat-led plan that would've immediately approved $95B in military aid, Rep. Mike Johnson has instead come up with this complex alternative in an effort to keep his squabbling Republican lawmakers happy. While they're baying for his blood, there's no guarantee it'll succeed.
Nerd narrative
There's a 7% chance that there will be a war between Russia and one or more NATO countries, but not the US, by 2035, according to the Metaculus prediction community.