Embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson plowed forward Thursday with plans to pass a $95 billion foreign aid package despite staunch opposition from conservatives and a threat to oust him by a pair of Republican hard-liners.
The House is slated to vote Saturday on a four-part aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan that mirrors legislation the Democratic-led Senate passed two months ago, but with the addition of a provision requiring Ukraine to pay back some of the money.
It includes other national security provisions and a requirement that the social media platform TikTok divest from China within a year.
President Biden has endorsed the package and said he would sign it.
Many House Republicans abhor the proposal, and a pair of conservatives are threatening to try to oust Mr. Johnson over it.
Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas Republican and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Mr. Johnson, a Southern Baptist, is supporting the package over fierce Republican resistance after praying about it.
Mr. McCaul and other leaders have warned that leaving Ukraine without U.S. aid would guarantee Russia’s takeover of the country, which would threaten the region and embolden China to invade Taiwan.
“He got down on his knees and prayed for guidance, about what is the best path,” Mr. McCaul said. “He told me the next day, ‘I want to be on the right side of history,’ and he’s choosing to be on the side of Churchill.”
Republican opponents of the bill want Mr. Johnson to make changes to the legislation and link U.S. border security provisions with Ukraine funding. Others want a stand-alone bill providing aid for Israel and to shift other government funding to cover the cost of the Ukraine aid.
Those proposals won’t pass the Senate, and Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, has made no moves to alter the legislative package.
Thanks to Republican opposition and the Republicans’ razor-thin majority, Mr. Johnson won’t be able to pass the bill without significant help from Democrats.
Democrats are using that leverage to angle for additional concessions. The measure remained stalled in committee late Thursday.
Elected speaker just six months ago, Mr. Johnson has faced increasing criticism from conservatives who say he has capitulated to the Democratic-led Senate on spending, border security and other critical Republican priorities.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, is threatening to bring up an arcane motion to vacate the chair. If passed, the motion would oust Mr. Johnson from his leadership post.
At least one other Republican lawmaker, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, said he would vote in favor of the motion. Democrats would likely side with the pair, providing enough votes to pass the motion and end Mr. Johnson’s speakership.
Moderate Republicans met privately with Mr. Johnson, urging him to block Ms. Greene by changing the rules to make it harder to call up a vote to oust the speaker.
The proposal drew threats from conservatives that they would try to remove Mr. Johnson if he attempted to change the rule. Mr. Johnson backed away from the idea on social media, announcing that “any rule change requires a majority of the full House, which we do not have.”
The foreign aid package and talk of removing Mr. Johnson has sharply divided House Republicans and escalated tensions among lawmakers. By Thursday, some had resorted to name-calling.
A group of conservatives huddled in the well of the House with Mr. Johnson and urged him to ditch the aid package in favor of a slimmed-down version that includes a key border security provision.
The huddle broke up after Rep. Derrick Van Orden, Wisconsin Republican, began taunting the group over the threat to oust Mr. Johnson. He called Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, “tubby.” Mr. Gaetz called Mr. Van Orden a “squish.”
Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona Republican, said lawmakers are frustrated with Mr. Johnson for backing off from a pledge to link the Ukraine spending with urgently needed provisions to secure the southern border, where millions of illegal immigrants have flowed into the U.S. during the Biden administration.
Mr. Johnson proposed a fifth bill, unconnected to the foreign aid package, that would include critical components of a House-passed border security bill. Republicans scuttled it in committee because it was not included in the foreign aid bill and would be ignored by Democrats.
“The way it’s concocted now, it’s a travesty,” Mr. Biggs said. The lawmaker is not sure how he would vote if Ms. Greene brought up a motion to oust Mr. Johnson but said “establishment” Republicans, not just hard-line conservatives, are “absolutely angry” about the aid package.
Democrats, Mr. Biggs said, may need to save both the bill and Mr. Johnson.
Earlier Thursday, reporters asked former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, whether her party lawmakers should help bail out her Republican successor.
“Republicans should help Johnson,” she said. “He’s given them everything they’ve asked for.”