Rep. Gallagher May Postpone Resignation to Approve Foreign Aid

Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., was scheduled to leave Congress on Friday, but he may delay his resignation to support a key vote on foreign aid on Saturday night.

The Wisconsin Republican is considering staying another day to back House Speaker Mike Johnson’s, R-La., foreign aid package, which includes assistance for allies like Ukraine and Israel. Some GOP congressmen, such as Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, have expressed opposition to the package, so Johnson will require Democratic support to pass the bill.

“The congressman has the option to extend his stay and back the aid package on Saturday,” a spokesperson for Gallagher told Politico.

In addition to aid for Israel and Ukraine, the package also includes Gallagher’s legislation mandating the sale of TikTok from its Chinese owner, giving him further reason to stay.

Gallagher had announced his resignation in March, a month after stating he would not seek reelection for a fifth term.

Aside from support for Israel and Ukraine, the aid package offers assistance to Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region, along with the REPO Act, which allocates assets to Ukraine using assets seized from the Russian Central Bank.

Requiring Democratic support to pass the aid package may aggravate critics of the speaker further. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have indicated they will call for a vote to remove Johnson.

“Continuing to pass bills reliant on Democrats is out of touch with the Republican Party,” Greene tweeted on X, previously known as Twitter. “This is transparent to everyone.”

Separate from the aid package, there will also be a vote on a border security bill.

A response from Gallagher’s spokesperson was not immediately available.