The House speaker faces fresh criticism after announcing when the text of three separate funding bills will be posted.
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s letter about foreign funding bills sparked a new flood of Republican backlash on social media on Wednesday.
It has been months since the Senate passed a $95-billion funding package which would give aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, money to Israel in its war with Hamas, and funds for Taiwan to combat Chinese aggression.
However, the House has yet to act on the bill and instead, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told colleagues in a letter on Wednesday that the language of three separate funding bills will be posted today.
„After significant member feedback and discussion, the House Rules Committee will be posting soon today the text of three bills that will fund America’s national security interests and allies in Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and Ukraine, including a loan structure for aid, and enhanced strategy and accountability,“ Johnson wrote in the letter that has circulated on social media.
„These will be brought to the floor under a structured rule that will allow for an amendment process, alongside a fourth bill that includes the REPO Act, TikTok bill, sanctions and other measures to confront Russia, China, and Iran.“
The REPO Act refers to the Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Ukrainians Act. It allows the president of the United States to confiscate sovereign assets of the Russian Federation that are directly or indirectly owned by the government, states the Lawfare website.
The House speaker said that the committee will also post text for a bill on border security that „includes the core components of H.R.2,“ which is a piece of tough immigration legislation that passed on the House last May, but was blocked by the Democratic-led Senate.
