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.
A two-week Easter recess is scheduled to begin on March 23 and extend until April 8, likely adding further delays to any potential votes on the issue.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview with Politico on March 14 that he expects to pass a future Ukraine aid bill with Democratic votes, adding that splitting Ukraine and Israel aid into two separate bills was "under consideration."
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Republican senators at their annual retreat on March 13, where he floated the idea that the long-obstructed Ukraine aid package could be made into a loan or lend-lease program for the benefit of U.S. taxpayers, the Hill reported on March 14.
Both chambers of the U.S. Congress approved a short-term stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown through the fall, sending it for signature to President Joe Biden.
Congress needs to stand up to Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said during the annual State of the Union address on March 7.
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick said he keeps working with House Speaker Mike Johnson's office to hold a vote through regular channels but will start collecting signatures to bypass the speaker if he does not comply.
The House proposal would reportedly allocate $66 billion to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, but would not include humanitarian aid and would impose severe restrictions on asylum seekers.
U.S. congressional leaders announced on Feb. 28 a tentative agreement to avert a government shutdown, days before a looming deadline that threatened to disrupt federal operations.
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