House Republicans are under pressure to step down from key roles following their obstruction of foreign aid package
House Republicans, particularly on the Rules Committee, are facing pressure to resign due to their attempts to derail Speaker Mike Johnson’s foreign aid package. Three members threatened to block the four aid bills, causing internal strife. The proposed legislation covers aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and defense measures against China and Russia but lacks a U.S. border policy, sparking criticism within the party.
A handful of House Republicans on the powerful Rules Committee are facing calls to resign from their positions after threatening to tank Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) foreign aid package before it can even reach the floor for debate.
At least three GOP members on the Rules Committee have threatened to vote against advancing the four foreign aid bills to the House floor, possibly halting progress just days after the bills were unveiled. The refusal to consider the bills has prompted criticism from other House Republicans, with some even going so far as to call on the GOP lawmakers to resign from the committee.
“The three members who refuse to support the Speaker’s agenda should resign from the Rules Committee immediately,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said in a post on X. “If they refuse, they should be removed immediately. They are there on behalf of the conference, not themselves.”
Lawler’s post comes in response to comments from Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Ralph Norman (R-SC), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) all of whom threatened to tank four foreign aid bills over objections to their contents and the proposed process for sending them to the Senate.
Massie is also facing some pushback after siding with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to support her motion to vacate Johnson as speaker, with one GOP lawmaker telling the Washington Examiner he “should be removed” from the Rules Committee over the move.
Republican leaders published the proposed foreign aid package on Wednesday, proposing to split the bills into four separate pieces of legislation focusing on Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. The package also includes a fourth bill that includes other defense measures, including legislation to force China to divest TikTok as well as the REPO Act, a proposal to seize frozen Russian assets and transfer them to the Ukrainian government to fight against the Kremlin.
However, lawmakers have criticized the proposal for lacking any U.S. border policy, threatening to vote against the package altogether. House Republicans did publish a fifth bill that focuses solely on border security in an attempt to appease GOP holdouts, although some lawmakers have said it must be tied to the foreign aid bills.
“We got to get the border in there somehow,” Norman said. “The Ukraine vote has got to be tied to the border. And that’s what we’re working towards.”
The Rules Committee sets the parameters for each bill’s debate and amendments before it is brought to the floor for consideration. If a bill fails to advance through the committee, it cannot be brought to the floor unless the speaker decides to suspend the rules, thereby raising the threshold needed to pass legislation on the floor.
Even if the foreign aid bills do make it through the Rules Committee, several other Republicans have threatened to vote against the rule on the floor.
Under typical House procedure, a bill is brought to the floor under a rule that must be approved by lawmakers before it can be debated or voted on. A rule is historically passed along party lines and rarely fails on the House floor. However, House conservatives have weaponized the procedure several times over the last year, tanking key pieces of legislation and stalling action on the floor.
Thanks to Republicans’ historically slim majority in the lower chamber, Johnson has little room for error. As of Wednesday, the speaker can only afford to lose two members on any vote.
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In the event Republicans tank the package, Democrats would need to buck tradition and vote in favor of the rule, thereby throwing Johnson a lifeline to get the package over the finish line. Some Democrats have indicated they would support the rule, although many have remained tightlipped on what they plan to do until Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) advises the party.
As of Thursday morning, Democratic lawmakers indicated they were still considering how they would move forward — although several suggested they could vote in favor of the rule.
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