Pressure builds on House Republicans to pass Senate foreign aid bill after Iran strikes

House Republicans are facing mounting pressure to pass a Senate foreign aid bill, following the Iranian drone strikes targeting Israel over the weekend.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House coalitions are calling on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a vote on the Senate-passed national security supplemental — pointing to the urgency following the Iran attack.

“Given the events of tonight, it is even clearer that the best way to help Israel is for the House to quickly pass the Senate’s bipartisan national security supplemental next week,” Schumer wrote in a statement following news of the attack.

Schumer also reiterated the U.S.’s strong support for Israel, saying, “We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel,” as he called for Iran to “take immediate steps to ratchet down their recklessly aggressive behavior.”

McConnell delivered a similar message of solidarity with Israelis following the Iranian attack and added, “Congress must also do its part.”

“The national security supplemental that has waited months for action will provide critical resources to Israel and our own military forces in the region. It will provide overdue lethal assistance to Ukraine and equip vulnerable allies and partners in Asia to deter the [People’s Republic of China]. And it will make urgent investments in our own defense industrial base,” McConnell said in a statement Saturday night.

“We cannot hope to deter conflict without demonstrating resolve and investing seriously in American strength,” McConnell continued. “The Commander-in-Chief and the Congress must discharge our fundamental duties without delay. The consequences of failure are clear, devastating, and avoidable.”

In recent weeks, Johnson has faced pressure to put the Senate-passed bill on the House floor for a vote. Many lawmakers have expressed urgency in passing Ukraine aid for the war-torn country as Biden’s supplemental funding request has been stalled for months in the House.

Johnson has committed to putting some version of Ukraine funding on the floor for a vote, but he has not specified what that package would look like. On Sunday, he reiterated his commitment to moving forward with a foreign aid package.

Yet, many onlookers have expressed concern about the House putting a separate version of the bill on the floor for a vote. If the House does not pass the Senate bill in its current version, the prospect of getting the legislation to the president’s desk would be further delayed since the bill would need to go back to the Senate for a vote.

With the Iranian attack over the weekend, lawmakers have pointed to the Senate bill as the best solution to passing aid quickly.

“For months, New Dems have called for a vote on the essential national security funding package to protect our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in their fights against tyranny and terror and to deliver aid to civilians in Gaza,” the House New Democrat Coalition wrote in a statement. “It’s now imperative Speaker Johnson immediately allow the House to vote for the bipartisan national security package that passed the Senate two months ago.”

“It’s long past time that House Republican Leadership live up to their responsibilities, and uphold America’s ironclad commitment to defending our allies as they fight to defend themselves against oppressive powers.”