House Speaker Mike Johnson said on March 31 that the U.S. Congress will hold a vote on aid for Ukraine after months of deadlock following the end of the Easter holiday on April 7.
U.S. aid to Ukraine has been delayed since fall 2023 amid infighting in Congress. In February, a $95 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed in the Senate with bipartisan support, but Johnson has so far stalled on bringing it to a vote in the Republican-led House.
Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also said on March 24 that he anticipated Johnson would bring the aid to a vote after Easter, despite signs that support for Johnson to keep his position was shrinking within his own party.
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a one-on-one phone call with Johnson on March 28, in another indication that the aid was moving forward.
In an interview with Republican former Congressman Trey Gowdy, who currently hosts a talk show on Fox News, Johnson said that he expected the bill to be voted on shortly but added that it would contain "some important innovations."
Johnson did not clarify what he was referring to.
Facing signs of dissent from House Republicans like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, Johnson acknowledged he would likely need to build bipartisan consensus in order to move the bill past the finish line.
Greene filed a motion to oust Johnson from his position in late March, the same procedure that cost former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy his job in October 2023.
Republican Congressman Don Bacon said on March 31 that a vote to remove Johnson would be "very likely" if he allowed Ukraine aid to be brought to the floor, and that it was possible the move could be successful.
Johnson's ouster would likely again plunge Congress into chaos and be a sign of the power held by the minority of Republicans strongly opposed to aid for Ukraine.
Kateryna Hodunova
