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Johnson debuts plan to advance key foreign aid packages in separate bills: Report

The plan follows a weekend in which Iran mounted an unprecedented direct strike on Israeli territory, which Tehran officially billed as a retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy in Damascus, Syria.

Published: April 15, 2024 6:34pm

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday announced that he would put forward four bills to move key aid packages to embattled foreign nations through the lower chamber.

The plan follows a weekend in which Iran mounted an unprecedented direct strike on Israeli territory, which Tehran described as a retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy in Damascus, Syria.

Johnson plans to split aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan into individual bills, while putting forth a fourth bill that would feature a ban on social media platform TikTok, certain loan-related measures to security and humanitarian aid, and a provision to send seized Russian assets to Ukraine, The Hill reported, citing "two GOP lawmakers at the meeting."

Johnson made the announcement during a closed-door meeting of the House Republican Conference and indicated he would attempt to push all four bills through using a single procedural mechanism.

The Senate, earlier this year, approved a $95 billion aid package to all three nations, including roughly $61 billion for Ukraine, though it has languished in the House. Democrats have begun circulating a discharge petition to force a vote in the face of opposition from Johnson, though it has not reached the required amount of support as of press time.

The White House previously indicated on Monday that it would not support a stand-alone aid bill to Israel, a tactic the House has previously tried amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, albeit to no success.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.

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