On April 20, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to provide $95 billion in military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Speaker Mike Johnson brought the legislation to the floor despite threats from Republican firebrands to oust him for it. The bills passed with substantial bipartisan majorities: 311-112 for Ukraine, 366-58 for Israel, 385-34 for Taiwan. On April 23, in a lopsided 79-18 vote, the Senate approved the legislation, and President Biden signed it the next day.

Johnson’s decision was a remarkable about-face. An opponent of aid to Ukraine before he became Speaker, Johnson subsequently said he would not permit a vote unless Republican demands to secure the southern border were met, and then dismissed a bipartisan Senate plan restricting immigration as inadequate. Despite evidence that Ukraine was running out of ammunition, Johnson did not change his mind when the Senate passed a foreign aid bill in February, with support from 70 members.

Acknowledging he “could make a selfish decision and do something different,” the Speaker now claims he would rather “send bullets to Ukraine than American boys … This is not a game. It’s not a joke. We can’t play politics on this. We have to do the right thing and........

© The Hill