The House will again move to pass legislation providing aid to Israel in response to a drone and missile attack from Iran, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on Sunday.
Republicans “understand the necessity of standing with Israel,” Johnson told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, adding, “We’re going to try again this week, and the details of that package are being put together.”
During the interview on “Sunday Morning Futures,” Johnson suggested the package could provide emergency support to other countries as well, noting that lawmakers are “looking at the options and all these supplemental issues.”
Johnson addressed the debate over providing more aid to Ukraine, too, while discussing his visit with former President Donald Trump in Florida on Friday.
“He and I are 100% united on these big agenda items,” Johnson said of Trump. He added that Trump floated the idea of a loan concept. The speaker additionally raised the REPO Act to use seized assets from Russian oligarchs to help fund Ukraine’s war effort.
“These are ideas that I think can get consensus, and that’s what we’ve been working through. We’ll send our package, we’ll put something together and send it to the Senate and get these obligations completed,” Johnson said.
Like other Republicans, Johnson chided Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) after the Senate blocked a House-passed bill that would have provided $14.3 billion in emergency aid to Israel with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offset.
“What a concept, we took from the IRS expansion slush fund to pay for the Israel priority,” Johnson said.
The speaker noted that the House later considered an Israel aid bill without the IRS offset. It was rejected, with 166 Democrats and 14 Republicans voting against it after President Joe Biden threatened a veto.
On the Senate side, a $95 billion foreign aid bill to boost U.S. allies such as Israel and Ukraine was passed in February, but the House has not taken up the legislation. Some Democrats are renewing a push for that package following the Iran attack.
“The world is on fire. We should stand with our Democratic allies and push back against the enemies of freedom. The House must pass the bipartisan national security bill. Tomorrow,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in a post to X on Sunday morning.
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Johnson also rebuked Schumer over his call last month for Israel to hold a new election while criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership amid a months-long campaign in Gaza seeking to root out Hamas terrorists following an attack in October.
“What’s important right now is that we stand with Israel. We should not be dictating to them what their policy is; we certainly shouldn’t be doing what Chuck Schumer did, trying to suggest they should have new elections at this critical time,” Johnson said.
“They’re fighting for their very existence, and it’s never been more important for us to be there with them. And we’re resolved to do that. I hope that continues,” he added.