House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will push for aid to Israel and Ukraine this week
Source: Associated Press
BY STEPHEN GROVES
Updated 9:44 AM PDT, April 14, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday he will try to advance wartime aid for Israel this week as he attempts the difficult tasJohnson told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that he and Republicans “understand the necessity of standing with Israel” and he would try this week to advance the aid.
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“The details of that package are being put together right now,” he said. “We’re looking at the options and all these supplemental issues.”k of winning House approval for a national security package that also includes funding for Ukraine and allies in Asia. GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Johnson “has made it clear” that he sees a path for funding for Israel, Ukraine and allies in Asia to come to the House floor this week.
The speaker has expressed support for legislation that would structure some of the funding for Kyiv as loans, pave the way for the U.S. to tap frozen Russian central bank assets and include other policy changes. Johnson has pushed for the Biden administration to lift a pause on approvals for Liquefied Natural Gas exports and at times has also demanded policy changes at the U.S. border with Mexico. But currently, the only package with wide bipartisan support in Congress is the Senate-passed bill that includes roughly $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby called on the speaker to put that package “on the floor as soon as possible.”
“We didn’t need any reminders in terms of what’s going on in Ukraine,” Kirby said on NBC. “But last night certainly underscores significantly the threat that Israel faces in a very, very tough neighborhood.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/israel-ukraine-aid-house-speaker-johnson-912a7419b00749fbc2f472df93f67bb1
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