As House stalls foreign aid bill, thousands die

For four months, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have debated a supplemental aid package. The proposed $95 billion foreign assistance bill would provide defense equipment to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, as well as other American partners and allies. The Senate overwhelmingly passed the assistance package this month, and it was then presented to the House. If it passes, the U.S. will send this aid to these countries.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), however, has stated that there is “no rush” to address the foreign aid bill. He has also previously rejected a bipartisan proposal from the Senate to bring the legislation to the House for a vote. Discussions for the foreign supplemental aid package first began in October 2023, and it has yet to be passed by the House.

Speaker Johnson’s inaction over the bill has been costly. In Ukraine, Russian forces have been given an unexpected four-month window to strengthen their positions in southern and eastern Ukraine. This has allowed the Russians to re-strategize and regroup, and this has made it more difficult for Ukrainian forces to penetrate these Russian-occupied areas. In addition, the Russians continue to bombard Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have been killed by Russia’s acts, and one-fourth of Ukraine’s total population remains displaced.

Ukrainian forces are also reportedly running out of ammunition and weapons needed to punch through Russian defenses. Thousands of Ukrainians have died trying to liberate the Russia-occupied areas, and Ukrainian forces are now reevaluating their efforts as they need to determine how to best use their weapons and manpower.

This works in Russia’s favor. According to The New York Times, Russia is planning a new offensive. The report stated that the Russians are advancing in eastern Ukraine, and that this is the most threatening development in the war since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. If the Russian advances are successful, this would undo much of Ukraine’s hard work over the last two years.

Many are now taking notice. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 75 percent of Americans surveyed stated that the war between Israel and Hamas was important to U.S. national interests. Similarly, 74 percent of participants said that the war in Ukraine is important to U.S. national interests. Finally, when asked about the growing tensions between China and Taiwan, 75 percent of Americans surveyed said that this was important to U.S. national interests.

In other words, Republicans, Independents and Democrats in the U.S. believe developments in these regions are of importance to the U.S. and its national security interests.

The majority of Americans also strongly support sending aid. According to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation’s national defense survey, 71 percent of participants said they support providing assistance to Israel, 67 percent stated they want the U.S. to continue sending aid to Ukraine and 65 percent shared they want the U.S. to help Taiwan. The poll also found that there is strong bipartisan support in the U.S. for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. In other words, Americans stand strong with their partners and allies.

This makes the House’s inaction all the more puzzling. The Senate has overwhelmingly passed a new foreign aid package for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, showing that there is strong bipartisan support for these countries. Meanwhile, polls by the Pew Research Center and Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation found that the majority of American voters viewed the relationship with Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan as U.S. national security interests. They supported sending additional aid to these countries.

Finally, the majority of House Democrats support the proposed foreign aid bill. Why, then, do Speaker Johnson and several House Republicans continue to stall on its decision? The stalling of aid suggests to authoritarian rulers that the U.S. is unwilling to stand against their tyranny. This is not a precedent the U.S. should set.

Hamas, Russia and China should not and cannot be allowed to succeed. Therefore, it is time to put additional pressure on Johnson to bring the supplemental aid package to a vote. Providing this new assistance will allow America’s allies and partners to defend themselves, and it will give them the tools they need to succeed without having to send American troops to fight in these places. A majority of Americans understand this.

Several House members are ready to challenge Speaker Johnson for a vote on this new supplemental aid package. House Democrats are preparing to introduce a discharge petition to force the foreign aid bill to the House floor. For the discharge to be successful, 218 members of the House would need to sign the petition, bringing the bill to the floor without Johnson’s approval. The petition requires only a minimal number of Republican House members to sign on, but some already have. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine) said on “Face the Nation” Sunday that they have filed to expedite their bipartisan bill on border security and Ukraine aid.

Overall, further delays in the new supplemental aid package will only bring greater death and destruction abroad. It could also bring these conflicts home. No American wants that. It is time for the House to finally pass this bill.

Mark Temnycky is an accredited freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs and a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.