House Speaker Mike Johnson is going on the offensive to warn Republicans that some form of Ukraine funding will soon come up for a vote whether they like it or not, and they’d be fools to oust him over it.
The Louisiana Republican previewed legislation that could include loaning Ukraine more military aid, an idea that he noted has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, the GOP’s presumptive nominee.
Congress returns next week from its Easter recess.
“When we return after this [recess], we’ll be moving a product. But it’s going to, I think, have some important innovations,” Mr. Johnson said Sunday night on Fox News. “Even President Trump has talked about the loan concept where we set up — we’re not just giving foreign aid; we’re setting it up in a relationship where they can provide it back to us when the time is right.”
He referenced a bipartisan bill called the REPO Act that would transfer seized assets from wealthy Russians to Ukraine, an option for military aid that could satisfy Republicans’ objections about spending more U.S. tax dollars on the war. The speaker said he has been sounding out lawmakers about it during the recess.
Mr. Johnson tried to woo Democrats for the plan by saying they could reverse President Biden’s environmental pause on new liquified natural gas exports to help Ukraine. But many Democrats have applauded Mr. Biden’s pause on new LNG exports.
The speaker’s gavel is under threat by hardline conservatives led by Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, and moving on Ukraine assistance could fuel further revolt.
But approving Ukraine aid could curry favor with House Democrats, some of whom say they would be willing to help save Mr. Johnson.
Turning Ukraine aid into a loan would face significant hurdles in the Senate, particularly among Democrats but even with some Republicans. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, for example, has previously rejected the idea.
“We don’t have time for all of this. We’ve got a bill that got 70 votes in the Senate,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters earlier this month, referencing a bipartisan bill with Ukraine and Israel funding that’s not received a House vote. “Give the members of the House of Representatives an opportunity to vote on this. That’s the solution.”
The speaker tried to temper expectations for achieving conservative legislative wins on the heels of passing $1.2 trillion in government funding that angered many Republicans but was necessary to avoid a shutdown.
“This is not an easy job right now,” Mr. Johnson said. “When you do the math to get a majority vote, I can only lose one. So, we’re not going to get the legislation that we all desire and prefer.”
As for operating under the threat of being fired, Mr. Johnson whacked Ms. Greene’s motion to vacate as a “distraction from our mission.”
“The mission is to save the Republic, and the only way we can do that is if we grow the House majority, win the Senate and win the White House,” he said. “We don’t need any dissension right now.”
The two of them “exchanged text messages” over the weekend, according to Mr. Johnson, who described Ms. Greene as a “friend” who is “frustrated.”