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The House on Friday advanced legislation to send aid to Ukraine and other embattled U.S. allies overseas, clearing a key procedural hurdle after Democrats stepped in to back the measure — a rare move by the minority party, but one that was crucial to nudge the package forward in the face of fierce conservative opposition. The chamber approved the foreign aid rule in a 316-94 vote, opening up debate on a quartet of bills combining military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with humanitarian assistance to Gaza and other global war zones. The successful rule tees up final passage of...

lamenting he does not have the votes to change the rules at this time. Johnson’s carefully worded statement stopped short of outright calling for a rule change that could save his gavel, but he made clear he opposed the current rules and understands “the importance of that idea” of changing them. Rep. Thomas Massie pointed out Johnson’s misleading statement, responding to it on social media. “The Speaker tried to change the rules to eliminate the motion to vacate but he didn’t have the votes today,” Massie posted on X.

WASHINGTON, April 18 (Reuters) - Donald Trump said on Thursday the survival of Ukraine is important to the United States, a shift in tone days before the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives is due to vote on a $61 billion aid package.

The inside story of how House Speaker Mike Johnson was flip-flopped on Ukraine aid starts with his top policy adviser...SNIP>>>> Johnson’s policy director, Dan Ziegler, was–until he joined the Speaker’s office as his top policy aide when Johnson won the Speakership last year–a lobbyist with the firm Williams & Jensen. He had previously worked for Johnson in other capacities, but left Johnson to become a lobbyist and accumulated a client list that included several top companies–some of which seem to have a financial interest in seeing Congress pass Ukraine aid. The lobbying firm for which he worked represents a number...

Joe Biden, Democrats, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the RINOs are colluding on an aid package for Ukraine, which may upset plans by some Republican lawmakers to remove Johnson from the Speaker’s chair. The $95 billion package provides an additional “$60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine and assist our regional partners as they counter Russia, $23.2 billion of which will be used for replenishment of U.S. weapons, stocks, and facilities.” It also provides aid to both Israel and, reportedly, Palestine. “I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world,” said Joe Biden in...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had kind words for far-left CNN host Jake Tapper Wednesday after the cameras appeared to turn dark. “You’re always fair,” a mic’d up Johnson said during an exchange heard by Breitbart News moments after Johnson’s long appearance on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper. Johnson joined Tapper remotely from outside the House floor in the Capitol as a handful of reporters looked on. He remarked during the interview that he had known Tapper, a proven leftwing partisan known for broadcasting false claims, for a long time. Johnson used his CNN appearance to tout his foreign aid...

President Joe Biden announced he “strongly” supports the House foreign aid package as Republicans rapidly turn on Speaker Mike Johnson over efforts to combine several supplemental bills into a single rule with a lack of border security legislation in the package. Shortly after the texts of the bills–a 49-page Ukraine supplemental, a 25-page Israel supplemental, and a 15-page “Indo-Pacific” supplemental–were released, Biden urged the passing of the “package,” according to a statement shared to X by Politico’s Daniella Diaz. A document from House Republicans on the appropriations committee notes that $26.38 billion would go to Israel, $60.84 billion would go...

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that the House will vote Saturday night on a yet-to-be-released foreign aid package that includes tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine. Johnson texted House Republicans late Wednesday morning that he would soon release the text of three bills to fund “America’s national security interests and allies,” reported Juliegrace Brufke of Axios, with votes on final passage Saturday night. ohnson text to members: After significant Member feedback and discussion, the House Rules Committee will be posting soon today the text of three bills that will fund America’s national security interests and allies in Israel, the...

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA), best known for his animosity toward Donald Trump, came out in defense of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as his speakership appears headed for the rocks. “Instead of bickering amongst themselves and handing Democrats control of the House, Republicans should do their damn job and vote on the important issues facing our nation,” Kemp posted on X.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who faces ramped-up threats of a motion to vacate, will not have enough Republican votes for a rule to merge separate foreign aid bills for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine, meaning he will need to turn to Democrats for help. Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) both announced Tuesday morning that they are against the rule. Biggs said he supported Johnson’s initial plan “announced in conference to allow the House to vote on the various aid packages separately. But his since-announced intent to merge them together before sending them to the Senate is...

In 1985, Harold Washington issued an executive order that relaxed federal immigration laws under then-President Ronald Reagan, whose administration “aggressively used [the] detention of Central Americans as a device to deter migration from that region, where violent civil wars had caused tens of thousands to flee,” according to University of California Davis law professor Kevin Davis. Since Aug. 31, 2022, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has bussed or flown to Chicago nearly 40,000 individuals seeking asylum in an effort to use the welcoming aspects of Washington’s executive order as a political cudgel. On April 14, Mayor Johnson called out the...

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said on this week’s broadcast of “Sunday Morning Futures” that former President Donald Trump was “100%” with him. Host Maria Bartiromo asked, “The former president, President Trump has talked about the possibility of turning aid for Ukraine into a loan. Is that what you’re considering?” Johnson said, “Yes. You know, I had a great visit with him on Friday, and he and I are 100% united on these big agenda items.”

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) called a joint press conference on “election integrity” from former President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) “absurd” Friday, given the indictments Trump faces over 2020 election interference. “I mean, it’s too rich that Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are talking to us about election integrity. That’s like having to listen to a lecture by Bonnie and Clyde on bank security. I mean, it’s absurd considering what they did in the 2020 election to try and overturn it,” Swalwell said during an appearance on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360”.

Former President Trump threw his support behind Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Friday as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — one of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill — threatens to force a vote on ousting the House leader. Asked during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago if he supports Greene’s motion to vacate, Trump — while standing beside Johnson — said the Speaker is “doing a very good job.”

"I don't trust you."So said Rep Mike Garcia to FBI Director Christopher Wray. Garcia accused Wray of standing relatively silent and passive about "the biggest national security threat" to the U.S. – referring to the southern border — and refused to give "little credence" in the director’s ability to do his job or lead the "brave agents" below him. "I don’t trust you to protect us," Garcia said. "I think because of your inability to lead and also shape the policies and the DOJ and at the White House, we are now in a more precarious position than we were,...

Here are 10 key reasons experts say U.S. support for Ukraine should be continued: 1. Putin's aggression must be stopped. 2. Putin's atrocities need a response. 3. Russia is targeting evangelical Christians for persecution. 4. Ukraine wants only to regain its sovereign territory. 5. Russia has not "won" the war. 6. Russia is rearming for a larger war. 7. Most Ukraine aid goes to U.S. contractors. 8. Europe fears a coming attack on NATO. 9. Support for Ukraine signals to China: Do not invade Taiwan. 10. Give Ukraine aid to let Trump bring peace.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Wednesday explained his apparent flip-flop on a controversial surveillance law, saying that he now favors limited reforms after receiving a classified briefing. Speaker Johnson was asked by reporters why he changed his opinion on reforming Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a controversial surveillance law that is meant to target foreign adversaries, but often surveils Americans’ communications without a warrant. Johnson this week came out against a warrant requirement for Section 702 and moved not to allow an amendment that would have barred intelligence and law enforcement agencies from purchasing Americans’ private...

Chicago’s self-professed progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing the Biden administration to cut loose with more work permits for the tens of thousands of illegals sheltering in the city even as local black unemployment soars to many times the national average. As Chicago has been beset by nearly 40,000 illegals in the city’s 20 shelters, without work permits, illegals have a more have a difficult time getting work in Chicago, and Johnson has been pushing for more of these permits — which must come from the federal government. But Johnson has been piqued by the slow-moving wheels of the feds....

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a conservative think tank’s president pushed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to approve more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, arguing that backing Kyiv is vital to securing American freedom and values. Pompeo, who served in the Trump administration, said in a letter with John Walters, the CEO and president of the Hudson Institute, that protecting Ukraine is connected to issues at home, making the argument as some Republicans, including Johnson, have previously insisted the U.S. must secure the border before sending more aid to Kyiv. “None of our challenges at home...

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Sunday that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will be blamed if the U.S. fails to provide aid to Ukraine and it loses its war against Russia. “Now, he has to think about his conscience, because I got to tell you, if Ukraine loses this fight, he will be the guy in the history books that are written about why Ukraine lost this fight,” Kinzinger said in an interview on CNN. “They won’t necessarily say that he’s the one that pulled the aid, but he’s the one that could have done something which changed it.” “We...