US House sets long-awaited vote on billions for Ukraine, Israel

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives will have its long-awaited vote on aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific as soon as Saturday, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday, more than two months after a similar package passed the Senate.

The House Appropriations Committee unveiled legislation providing more than $95 billion in security assistance, including $60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine and assist regional partners as they handle Russia's invasion, of which $23.2 billion would be used to replenish U.S. weapons, stocks and facilities.

The Israel bill totals $26.38 billion, for Israel and funds to cover the cost of U.S. military operations in response to recent attacks.

The Indo-Pacific measure totals $8.12 billion.

After weeks of uncertainty about whether Republican House leaders would let members vote on the aid, Johnson said on Monday he had decided to break up the Senate's $95 billion bill into separate pieces.

And on Wednesday, after intense pressure from hardliners who oppose the spending plan, Johnson began releasing the text of the bills, with a vote on final passage planned for Saturday evening, to provide time for debate and amendment.

The Democratic-controlled Senate passed its assistance bill with a solid 70% bipartisan majority in February, and backers of the package had said it would pass the House by a similar margin if Johnson allowed a vote.

Republican leaders of House Republican security committees have said they support Johnson's plan.

DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT

Democratic support is essential, given the slim Republican majority in the House and opposition to further aid from far-right Republicans.

The plan got an important boost when Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations panel, announced her support for the three security funding bills. "We finally have a path forward to provide support for our allies and desperately needed humanitarian aid," she said in a statement.

The Senate bill faced fierce opposition from the most conservative lawmakers - many allied with former President Donald Trump, who has been a Ukraine aid skeptic and hopes to win back the White House in November.

At least two of the most conservative House members had threatened to try to oust Johnson as speaker if he went ahead.

There are also objections to the package from some on the left, with some Democrats concerned about sending more money to Israel as it strikes back against the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants. Opponents say there should be tighter controls on U.S. weapons and taxpayer dollars, given the devastating toll on civilians of Israel's campaign in Gaza.

In a text message to House members, Johnson said the House Rules committee also would post a fourth national security measure on Wednesday, including the REPO Act, House TikTok bill and sanctions.

The REPO Act would set the stage for the confiscation of Russian assets to be handed over to Ukraine. And the U.S. House in March passed a bill that would give the short video app TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest U.S. assets or face a ban.

And Johnson promised a text of a separate border security bill. Immigration is a top concern for conservative voters ahead of Nov. 5 elections that will decide control of the White House and Congress, and some Republicans have insisted they would not back foreign aid without more funding for security at the U.S. frontier with Mexico.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; additional reporting by Moira Warburton and Makini Brice; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Jonathan Oatis)