House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) celebrated the Democrats’ capture of the House, marking a historic moment as they joined forces with the opposition party to push President Joe Biden’s Ukraine border defense funding priority to a full House vote on Saturday.
“We look forward to every member voting their conscience and their desire, and that is exactly how this process is supposed to work and how the house is supposed to operate,” Johnson told reporters on Friday after passing a rules bill.
“So we’re happy to provide that,” he noted.
Democrats had a motive to support Johnson: he’s not like former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “McCarthy was both incompetent and dishonest,” remarked Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI), “but Johnson is just incompetent.”
Johnson’s inexplicable decision to collaborate with Democrats in advancing Biden’s Ukraine agenda happened on two occasions within a span of two days:
- On Thursday, Johnson made history by teaming up with Democrats on the House Rules Committee to overcome objections from the majority and move forward with a rule bill to be presented on the House floor.
- On Friday, Democrats took control of the House and aided Johnson in overcoming a key procedural hurdle regarding the rule bill, paving the way for Saturday’s floor vote. A total of 165 Democrats voted “yes,” while only 151 Republicans did the same.
“This is the best possible product that we can get under these circumstances to take care of these really important obligations,” Johnson argued.
“We introduced the loan concept for the governmental assistance party to be provided in a loan instead of a gift,” he said about funding Ukraine’s border and not the U.S. border.
“Everyone can vote their will and their constituents’ desires on the Israel aid, the Ukrainian aid, the Indo Pacific, and then our fourth national security package,” Johnson said.
Right after Friday’s vote, GOP Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ) added his name to the motion to remove Johnson from the speakership, making him the third member to do so, alongside Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Johnson, who had previously been against funding Ukraine’s border, reversed his stance on Ukraine aid after being influenced by his top policy adviser, a former lobbyist with clients including several major companies that have issued corporate statements showing some level of concern or interest in the war.
WATCH:
MOMENTS AGO: Speaker Mike Johnson speaks after House votes to consider foreign aid bills. pic.twitter.com/SIIJf1C0t4
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 19, 2024
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