House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) plans to interrupt Senate negotiations on an aid bill that funds border protection by putting forth a “clean” bill that grants $17.6 billion in aid to Israel with no corresponding cuts or collateral deals involving Ukraine or the border.
Johnson’s move is the latest elegant example of Washington’s political cowardess combined with self-righteousness (of which neither side has a monopoly). Republicans on both sides of the Capitol are racing to put their favorite aid plan forward, with Democrats left to mostly stand by and await the feud’s result.
The situation is best understood by describing what is happening in the Senate.
Republicans in the Senate are working alongside Democrats to put together a package that combines aid to both Ukraine and Israel along with money and plans to address our battered border and immigration system.
It is best to acknowledge that at least some Republican Senators see a problem on the border and want it fixed without holding it as a political bludgeon against President Biden on behalf of Donald Trump.
According to The New York Times report:
“The emerging legislation, which includes measures making it more difficult to claim asylum and increasing both detentions and deportations, would also send more military aid to Ukraine and Israel, dedicate humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and fund efforts to counter Chinese threats to the Indo-Pacific region.”
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has already said that he plans on having the text of the bill available Sunday and a vote by Wednesday.
Yes, Republicans in the Senate are grumbling, wanting more intense measures for the border and some commensurate spending cuts, but also not wanting to take a politically risky vote that will almost surely die an ugly death in the House.
Cowardice.
Now, let’s hear some self-righteousness. Many Republicans, especially in the House, believe that aid to Israel should be addressed in a stand-alone bill, while a bill can be considered that would combine relief to Ukraine for much stiffer border enforcement.
Of course, such a move makes it infinitely easier for the House to enter the Ukrainian-Border negotiations with the position that all money must go to the border, and only then will they even consider aid to Ukraine.
Enter Speaker Mike Johnson:
🚨BREAKING NEWS — IN A REVERSAL, @SpeakerJohnson will put a bill on the floor to send $17.6 billion to Israel with no corresponding spending cuts, a reversal meant to preempt the Senate's border-and-national-security supplemental.
Here's a letter from Johnson to the House GOP:…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) February 3, 2024
Yes, you see what he did there. He softened the offer with no budget cuts to offset aid to Israel. But you also see that he wants his bill passed and ready to meet the Senate bill head-on, which would effectively split the two possible aid packages.
It is helpful for us to remember two critical facts. One, all spending bills must originate in the House. Yes, the Senate can pass a bill that the House then passes and sends back to the Senate but a standing bill from the House is a powerful statement.
Second, many Republicans, and most in the House, don’t want to see any more aid flowing to Ukraine. One can ascribe their motives to everything from extreme isolationism all the way to favoring Vladimir Putin in this war. The two are not mutually exclusive.
The motivation matters in the grander scheme of things, but not when it comes to getting aid to Ukraine in an attempt to preserve democracy in Eastern Europe and stop Putin in his tracks.
As for measures to strengthen our border, as none other than Barack Obama has said, a country does have an interest in keeping its borders strong and controlling who goes in and out — that’s not “less woke” to believe in the concept. So we can support measures that give President Biden the authority and tools he needs to strengthen our southern border.
The fact that Mike Johnson has waived away $14.7 billion to stiffen the border forces one to confront the real horror and another Washington staple — deceit. Johnson most likely wants the issues separated because he doesn’t want aid flowing to Ukraine or the border.
He likes having the border as a campaign issue and doesn’t want to provide President Biden the tools to clamp it down prior to the election.
As for Johnson’s refusal to enthusiastically support Ukraine? Well, the underlying reason is best left to the readers’ interpretation of the situation.
This report is based on original reporting by Karoun Demirjian of The New York Times and Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News.
I can be reached at jasonmiciak@gmail.com and on X @JasonMiciak.
Editor’s note: This is an opinion column that solely reflects the opinions of the author.
