UPDATE - Biden says he 'strongly supports' House Speaker’s plan to pass Ukraine, Israel aid

ADDS DETAILS THROUGHOUT

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden signaled strong support Wednesday for House Speaker Mike Johnson's plan to usher additional funding for Ukraine and Israel through the chamber.

"I strongly support this package to get critical support to Israel and Ukraine, provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and bolster security and stability in the Indo-Pacific," Biden said in a statement.

"The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed," he added.

The White House had long said it would oppose a stand-alone funding bill for Israel that did not include appropriations for Ukraine and other top-level national security items requested by Biden.

Johnson's middle-of-the-road response would see the bills moved through the House procedurally together.

The president's $95 billion national security supplemental request had languished in the House for months after it overwhelmingly cleared the Senate by a 70-29 vote in February.

That bill includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine, $14.1 billion for Israel, nearly $2.5 billion for US military operations in the Red Sea and $4.8 billion for Indo-Pacific partners.

While Biden's sign-off on Johnson's plan has removed a key obstacle for the speaker, other political dangers lie in wait.

Johnson has been facing vociferous opposition from his right flank to bring the additional funding package to the House floor for a vote. His decision to press on with the spending bills has angered his right flank, setting him up for a showdown with lawmakers who are threatening to carry out a legislative maneuver known as a motion to vacate to oust him from his post.

At least two Republicans, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie, have signed on to the effort.

Johnson has said he will have the House consider four separate bills. Three would separately fund Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and other Pacific allies. A fourth would include allocations for other foreign policy priorities.

The total of the three main bills is roughly the same as the Senate package, but includes language that about $9.6 billion of the aid for Ukraine be provided in the form of a loan. But the president can cancel 50% of the debt after Nov. 15, with all debt eligible for cancellation in 2026.

He must first, however, come to terms with Ukraine on the loan terms, which are reviewable by Congress.

The Israel funding bill does include some $9 billion for humanitarian assistance for Gaza and other war-torn areas, making it more likely that some Democrats who were conditioning their support on its inclusion will ultimately vote in support of the package.

Johnson said he will later unveil the text for the fourth bill, which will include other national security priorities, including a TikTok ban, a provision to help pay for aid by using seized Russian assets, sanctions and other measures to confront Russia, China and Iran.

Voting on the package will likely take place Saturday evening.

*Diyar Guldogan contributed to this report