Pence Praises Speaker for Showing ‘Moral Courage’ in Passing Foreign Aid Bill

Former Vice President Mike Pence commended House Speaker Mike Johnson for his “moral courage” in pushing forward with separate bills to aid Ukraine, Israel, and U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific, despite facing criticism from some GOP members and the potential threat of being removed from his position.

“Well, first of all, I want to acknowledge that Speaker Mike Johnson is in a challenging position,” Pence said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“It’s a very narrow majority, and what the American people will witness here is truly moral courage. Speaker Mike Johnson has made the decision to do what he believes is right and trust the American people with the outcome in this moment. I commend him for that.”

Despite pushback from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Johnson moved forward with the foreign aid package that excluded border security provisions with the support of Democrats.

When asked if he thought former President Donald Trump had contributed to the shift away from Reagan-era ideals, Pence expressed his belief that the emergence of Republican isolationism in recent years is concerning.

“I honestly believe that anyone who argues that we can’t secure our border, revive our economy, and maintain our role as the leader of the free world is underestimating the capabilities of the United States,” Pence stated. “We have a history of successfully addressing domestic and international challenges simultaneously, and we can continue to do so.”

Pence emphasized the importance of maintaining American leadership globally and highlighted his administration’s approach of strengthening the military, supporting allies, and confronting enemies when necessary.