The Republican who leads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Michael McCaul, said on March 24 that he anticipates Speaker Mike Johnson to introduce a Ukraine aid bill after Easter, even though it may pose a risk of losing support for a leadership vote against him.
“His commitment is to put it on the floor after Easter,” McCaul mentioned during his appearance on CBS "Face the Nation" program.
The U.S. Senate approved a $95 billion funding package on Feb. 13 that contained $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, but it still faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Acknowledging the challenging position Speaker Johnson is in, McCaul noted the possibility of the Louisiana Republican being removed from his speakership following a motion filed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene last week, triggered by Johnson's reliance on Democratic support to pass a $1.2 trillion government funding deal.
U.S. President Joe Biden reminded the urgency of aiding Ukraine after signing the $1.2 trillion funding bill on March 23, saying that "Congress's work isn't finished."
"The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests," Biden said in a statement.
During his surprise visit to Kyiv on March 20, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan vowed that the United States would deliver a $60 billion aid package to Ukraine despite its current impasse in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
"We are confident we will get this done. We will get this aid to Ukraine," Sullivan said at a press conference in Kyiv alongside Ukraine's Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
