Staff Reports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to give him the lowdown on the turmoil happening in Ukraine as Congress struggles with figuring out how much more foreign aid to give to the country. In classic Zelensky fashion, he posted about it on social media on Thursday, making sure to thank Johnson and the entire U.S. government for their backing and also making a pitch for more aid.
Zelensky briefs @SpeakerJohnson as Congress struggles to find path forward on Ukraine aid https://t.co/OdTLaUr2KS https://t.co/OdTLaUr2KS
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 28, 2024
“In this tough spot, it’s super important that Congress gets moving on providing Ukraine with aid,” Zelensky said. “We know there are a bunch of different ideas on what to do in the House of Representatives, but the real key is to keep on helping Ukraine as a uniting force.”
This call happened right in the middle of a big ol’ disagreement among top dogs in Congress about how to dish out foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel. There are two groups in the House trying to push through what they want, but they need Johnson’s stamp of approval to get the ball rolling.
To get one of these pet projects on Congress’ agenda, they need 218 members to sign on the dotted line. But as you can imagine, that’s easier said than done. Any plan they throw out there needs a bunch of Republicans and Democrats to jump on board.
House Rules Committee big shot Jim McGovern (D-MA) is leading one of these groups, tryna get the Senate’s idea of sendin’ cash to Ukraine and Israel to pass. But Johnson ain’t feelin’ it because they axed out the border security stuff from the bill before it got the stamp of approval in the upper chamber.
As for the other plan, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Jared Golden (D-ME) are teaming up on that one. It’s a blend of the Senate bill and includes border security. But that’s getting some grief from House Democrats who ain’t down with giving Israel a blank check while they’re in a tussle with Hamas.
Johnson’s gettin’ squeezed from all angles to make a move on foreign aid, even by his own Republican pals. He’s hinted that he’s willing to do something about helpin’ out Ukraine, but ain’t nobody knowin’ what he’s got up his sleeve just yet. The Washington Examiner tried to get the scoop from his office, but they didn’t spill the beans.
