Johnson pitches aid to Ukraine, Israel as path to border security amid conservatives’ concerns

House Speaker Mike Johnson is seeking to win over lawmakers skeptical of his latest effort to pass foreign aid spending, arguing that moving the legislation could be an eventual bargaining chip with Democrats for border security measures. 

But he’s again encountering opposition from conservatives who want border security provisions now.

The House is expected to consider four bills to send aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan this week following months of delay to handle more dire needs in Congress, like funding the government. While Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, has promised to consider aid funding for Ukraine, the timeline to move forward with legislation was spurred by Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend. 

Republicans have tried to use previous aid packages to pass more stringent border security measures, and many want to do the same with Mr. Johnson’s four-bill plan. 

“The will of our body is to find every possible way using this legislation and every legislation that we pass to try to use as leverage to get the administration to get control of that border,” Mr. Johnson said. 

But it is unlikely that the bills in question will include border policy.

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Rep. Bob Good, Virginia Republican, said outside of the GOP’s weekly closed-door conference meeting that Mr. Johnson told lawmakers that border-security provisions were not “germane” to the aid bills and would not be considered as part of an amendment process. 

“So we’re not not gonna allow border security to be part of the package, that’s a big big problem,” Mr. Good said. 

The legislation, which is expected to be released as soon as Tuesday night, will likely focus on military-only aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. A fourth bill in the lineup will include conditions for Ukraine aid, like a loan program requiring part of the aid to be repaid and including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael T. McCaul’s bill that uses seized Russian assets to pay for some of the foreign spending.  

Mr. McCaul, Texas Republican, noted that he recently spoke with Ukraine’s ambassador, who painted a dire situation in the war-beleaguered country.  

“Kharkiv is on the verge of falling, that’s 2 million people,” Mr. McCaul said. “And the power grid can be taken down. It’s a very dire situation.” 

While many in the GOP recognize the need for more Ukraine aid, others do not want to continue sending money. That sentiment, in part, is what spurred Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, to put the wheels in motion to oust Mr. Johnson. 

That push received more traction from Rep. Thomas Massie, who cosponsored Ms. Greene’s motion to vacate the chair and urged Mr. Johnson to resign from his position. 

But Mr. Johnson said he was not going anywhere, and that during dangerous times Congress, particularly the House GOP, needed to stick together to advance the Republican agenda and not get in their own way. 

“We need steady leadership. We need steady hands on the wheel,” Mr. Johnson said. “Look, I regard myself as a wartime speaker. I mean, in a literal sense we are.”