Speaker Johnson: House Bill Prioritizes Accountability Over Senate’s Unchecked Spending

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., commended the $95 billion House foreign aid bill that passed on Saturday for its accountability features which differ from the Senate’s approach. Johnson highlighted the provisions that enhance accountability over Ukraine aid, establish an end game strategy for the Ukraine war, introduce a loan instrument for foreign aid to Ukraine, and implement the REPO act to ensure Russian assets contribute to the bill. He emphasized that 80% of the Ukrainian funding will be allocated to replenishing American weapons and operations, and the bill also includes sanctions on Iran, Russia, and China.

The House process allowed each member to consider the supplemental elements individually, leading to significant improvements compared to the Senate bill. While the legislation is not perfect, Johnson stated that the House has made strong enhancements to the bill sent to the Senate.

The package was divided into separate bills, with 112 Republican members voting against aid to Ukraine and 37 Democrats opposing aid to Israel. Three House Republicans supported an effort to remove Johnson over the bill, citing multiple concerns about his decisions.

Johnson defended the foreign aid bill as including national security priorities and emphasized that safeguards were put in place to prevent funding from going to UNWRA, Hamas, or any terrorist organizations. He reiterated the importance of oversight in using and investing funds abroad to avoid putting American troops at risk.