The House of Representatives finally passed a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine on Saturday, thanks to Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s uncommon political bravery and impressive legislative acumen for a relatively new leader.
In order to defend a democratic nation that had been invaded by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin without provocation and to strengthen America’s position as the leading Western power, Johnson put his own job in grave danger. Despite Russia’s unwavering resolve to win a brutal conflict at the expense of innocent civilians, his actions could spare the lives of thousands of Ukrainians.
A time of introspection and political maturation—both of which are exceptional in the hyperpolarized Capitol—followed Johnson’s endorsement of the measure. According to one of his senior House colleagues, the religious conservative from Louisiana prayed for the “transformation” and stated he hoped to be remembered for his role in shaping history.
After months of intense bickering within the Republican Party, Johnson successfully navigated the bill through the House while taking a stand with the party’s less internationalist Ronald Reagan camp and rejecting his former political home, the “America First” faction.
Johnson stated that Russia may win and advance farther into Europe if the US cut off its supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, which would lead to another global conflict. He warned that Russia, Iran, and China will strengthen the new de facto axis of totalitarianism if nothing was done. In addition to the two legislation that Johnson steered through the House on a rare Saturday, additional aid will be sent to Taiwan and Israel, bolstering other critical US national security objectives in two other global flashpoints. In the seven months leading up to President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, his actions have safeguarded and extended the core principles of Biden’s foreign policy. Adding fuel to the fire for the Make America Great Again Republicans, who see the CIA as part of a “deep state” plotting against former president Trump, classified briefings from US covert agencies appear to have had a significant impact on his change of perspective.
Russia, China, and Iran pose “a global threat to our prosperity and our security,” according to Johnson, who claimed the House had no choice given the seriousness of the geopolitical situation. The free world is in danger from their rise, which necessitates American leadership. The repercussions might be catastrophic if we abandon this immediately.
Zelensky gives Johnson praise, but Johnson has cut relations with Republicans who support MAGA.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had warned for months that he risked losing the conflict if the United States cut off aid worth tens of billions of dollars, sent a statement that emphasized the importance of the extraordinary events that unfolded on a heated House floor. “The decision that keeps history on the right track was made possible by the United States House of Representatives, both parties, and Speaker Mike Johnson,” he stated on his Telegram channel, expressing his gratitude. “As long as the United States stands by its principles of liberty and democracy, it will never fade from prominence on a global scale.”
As Frederik Pleitgen of HEADLINESFOREVER reported from Ukraine on Saturday, US aid might begin flowing into Ukraine soon, supposing the Senate approves the bill as predicted. Russian air superiority is increasing, and Zelensky’s forces are under increasing attack on civilian and energy infrastructure targets; anti-aircraft missiles and upgraded air defense systems are particularly needed to resist this. Meanwhile, artillery and munitions have been rationed by the Ukrainian men battling in the trenches. In light of the savage war’s latest turn against Ukraine, the House vote will also provide a much-needed morale boost.
But Johnson’s moves were a blatant assault on the Republican Party’s populist base, which is strongly opposed to increasing aid to Ukraine, more aligned with Putin than Zelensky, and sees the United States’ conventional leadership in the West as supporting globalist policies that fight US interests. The presumed Republican presidential nominee, Trump, has skillfully tapped into this vein of opinion, which holds significant sway inside the GOP. The bill pertaining to Ukraine was rejected by 112 Republicans, constituting the majority of the conference. The ex-president’s view, held by millions of Americans, is that the United States should limit its perspective on its foreign responsibilities and that America’s friends, who urged Johnson not to leave Ukraine, are taking advantage of that position. They are concerned that challenging Russia would trigger a third world war and do not think the conflict in Ukraine is the United States’ responsibility.
The fact that Johnson rejected the right-wing Republicans’ demand that he utilize the aid as leverage to make the Biden administration implement strict regulations at the US-Mexico border makes him much more susceptible to pressure. This became clear when he passed the Ukraine bill. But even his allies betrayed him in this regard. In the most conservative immigration bill in recent memory, the president had already agreed to many of the GOP’s demands. However, the plan was crushed by Trump’s House allies, seemingly in an effort to deny Biden a victory on an issue that the former president saw as a route to regaining the presidency. This action, which prevented Johnson’s small majority from achieving a major policy victory, along with the utilization of Democratic votes to approve Saturday’s resolution about Ukraine, illustrates the complete chaos within a Republican Party that is engaged in internal strife. When Democrats began waving Ukrainian flags on the House floor, Johnson’s optics took a turn for the worse. The speaker quickly condemned the incident, which is going viral among conservatives on social media.
Johnson is still in a very precarious position.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who was strongly opposed to providing financing for Ukraine’s war effort, proclaimed Johnson a “lame duck” following the vote, even though she failed to initiate the vote to remove him from office, as she had promised to do in an effort to derail the bill pertaining to Ukraine. War on foreign countries is what Greene referred to as America’s “murder industry,” and she warned that Johnson was supporting this “unbelievable” practice. It makes me happy that the American people finally get to see this man.
The Georgia conservative is one of three Republicans who have publicly stated their support for Johnson’s ouster. Johnson’s majority is so thin that he cannot risk losing any Republicans on a party-line vote and will likely require the support of Democrats to maintain his position as speaker.
In what Greene sees as a betrayal of GOP voters, Johnson also fought to approve critical budget bills that funded the government. As lawmakers return home for a short recess, Greene predicts rage among grassroots Republicans. Her assessment could be spot on; Johnson could be particularly susceptible to a gradual increase in pressure.
Even among Republicans who were dissatisfied with Johnson, there were indications that they were not interested in enduring the certain chaos that would ensue in the process of selecting a new speaker in the final weeks before the election. Almost as a last resort in October, when more prominent figures failed to gain a majority following the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Johnson was elevated to the position of speaker from the back benches. If he has accurately gauged the mood of those members, he may manage to survive in an impressive demonstration of political finesse that few anticipated. Still, it appears unlikely that he will be able to remain in his position even if the Republicans win in November. However, Johnson might have helped vulnerable freshman Republicans in swing districts who were instrumental in their party’s 2022 election triumphs and subsequent control of the House by sending funding to Israel and Ukraine. New York Representative Marc Molinaro was one of them; he told Manu Raju of HEADLINESFOREVER, “It is clear to me that there are moments in time where we must do the right thing, and today we did that.” This was after consulting with his constituents.