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House passes Ukraine aid bill
From CNN's Haley Talbot
The House passed the Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act with a vote of 311-112. One member – GOP Rep Dan Meuser – voted present.
Democrats cheered and waved Ukrainian flags during the vote.
The$95 billion packagecontains$61 billion for Ukraineand regional partners.
One of the bills would provide nearly $61 billion to assist Ukraine and others in the region fight Russia – about the same that was included in the Senate bill.
Of that total, about $23 billion would be used to replenish US weapons, stockpiles and facilities, and more than $11 billion would fund current US military operations in the region.
Nearly $14 billion included in the bill would help Ukraine buy advanced weapons systems and other defense equipment.
The measure received unanimous support from Democrats, while Republicans were split. Among House GOP leadership, Whip Tom Emmer, Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise voted for Ukraine aid, while Conference Chair Elise Stefanikvoted against it.
Here's how House members voted on the measure:
Republicans:
Yes: 101
No: 112
Present: 1
Democrats:
Yes: 210
No: 0
Several hardline Republicans still opposed to ousting Speaker Mike Johnson, despite calling foreign aid bills “a slap in the face”
From CNN's Morgan Rimmer and Manu Raju
Several House Republican hardliners said they are still opposed to ousting Speaker Mike Johnson, despite their frustration after he brought a foreign aid package to the floor, though Rep. Lauren Boebert warned the effort is “gaining momentum.”
“I don't see how that solves anything. I am opposed to a vote on motion to vacate, but it is gaining momentum,” she told CNN’s Manu Raju. “Maybe there's a point where Speaker Johnson listens to Thomas Massie and resigns and we choose a new speaker, but I don't know who that would be and if they could do better."
Rep. Troy Nehls said it was “a slap in the face to America” for Johnson to not stick with his demand for border security policy changes in exchange for Ukraine aid.
“What he's showing is that, in my humble opinion, we are allowing Chuck Schumer to run the House of Representatives, and to me that's very disturbing,” he added, referring to the Democratic Senate majority leader.
However, Nehls argued there is no alternative to Johnson at this point. “Who's gonna want the job, but who could do it?"
House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green agreed, noting that he was disappointed in today’s foreign aid bill votes, but that he still won’t support removing Johnson. “It's not a failure of leadership, but it's a difference of opinion,” he said.
House passesbill providing aid to Indo-Pacific region
From CNN’s Haley Talbot
The House passed theIndo-PacificSecurity Supplemental bill with a bipartisan vote of385-34 plus one present vote: Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Here's what the package includes:
- $8.1 billion to counter China’s actions in the Indo-Pacific region
- $3.3 billion to develop submarine infrastructure
- $2 billion in foreign military financing for Taiwan and other key allies
- $1.9 billion to replenish defense items and services provided to Taiwan and regional partners
The Senate bill contained very similar provisions to bolster security in the region.
House passes bill that includes potential TikTok ban
From CNN’s Haley Talbot
The House passed the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act with a bipartisan vote of 360-58.
The bill includes national security priorities, including sanctions on Iran, the seizure of frozen Russian sovereign assets and a measure that could lead to a nationwide ban of TikTok.
Here's what the bill would do:
- Place sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil.
- Place sanctions on anyone involved in activity covered under the UN missile embargo on Iran that lapsed last year or in the supply or sale of Iran’s missiles and drones.
- Further restrict the export of goods and technology of US origin to Iran.
- Empower the executive branch to seize and transfer frozen Russian assets held in the US to Ukraine.
- Give TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance, nine months to sell the social media company or it would be banned from US app stores.
Remember: The House is also voting on three separate bills to provide foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific region. If the bills pass the House, thelegislationwill be combined into one amendment before being sent to the Senate.
Luna and Gaetz reject the idea of ousting Speaker Johnson
From CNN's Kit Maher
Republican Florida Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Matt Gaetz rejected the idea of ousting Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday.
“I think right now, it's dangerous to me to do something like that,” Luna told CNN. "There's a potential that people could resign. ... I'm not going to knock my colleagues because I have an immense amount of respect for my colleagues, but I just don't think it's the right time."
Asked by CNN whether he believes there should be a motion to vacate— a rarely used procedural tool to remove the House speaker — Gaetz said, “No.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise doesn't think Johnson is going to lose his job due to putting the foreign aid package on the floor, which was advanced by the help of Democrats.
"I don't think so," Scalise told reporters.
He also said, "I don't think so," when asked whether he believes there will be a motion to vacate today.
House Democrats won't say whether they would help save Johnson
From CNN's Manu Raju and Alison Main
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continued to dodge on whether House Democrats would be willing to help save Speaker Mike Johnson from a potential ouster led by members of his own party.
"We're working right now to get the national security legislation over the finish line. Once that's completed, we'll take up any other matters," the New York Democrat said when asked by CNN's Manu Raju whether it would be worth saving Johnson due to his actions to advance foreign aid bills despite pushback from right-wing Republicans.
Asked for his message to his caucus ahead of Saturday's votes on foreign aid, Jeffries said, "Let's get this done for the good of the American people."
Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman also would not say Saturday whether he would be willing to offer a vote to save Johnson.
"We'll have to see if they actually do it. ... Again, it would cause more chaos and disorder in this institution," he told reporters. "We saw in October that there is no easy fix, and that's because the problem is not the speaker; the problem is the party."
Pressed on whether Johnson's role in advancing foreign aid bills would make Goldman more willing to save him, the New York Democrat said, "Everyone on our side recognizes that in the face of significant opposition and threats from extortionists on the extreme MAGA wing of his party that he has stood up to do the right thing because he recognizes that Congress and the House must govern."
Rep. Richie Neal, a Democrat from Massachusetts, told reporters it was "premature" to answer whether he'd save Johnson.
Mike Johnson doesn't answer questions on ouster threats
From CNN's Kit Maher
Speaker Mike Johnson walked to the House floor without commenting on efforts from GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to oust him from leadership.
When asked whether he expected a motion to vacate — a rarely used procedural tool to remove the House speaker — Johnson did not respond and continued to walk to the floor.
Asked by CNN whether he sees the attempt by Greene as an empty threat, Johnson did not comment.
How the foreign aid package could lead to a TikTok ban
From CNN's Brian Fung
House Republicans have slipped TikTok legislation into the foreign aid package in hopes that it forces the Senate to a quick vote on the measure.
While three of the four measures in the package focus on aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific, the fourth bill could lead to a ban of the popular social media app, which has links to China.
If passed, the app’s Chinese parent, ByteDance,would have nine months to sell the social media company. If it misses the deadline, TikTok would be banned from US app stores. However, the measure authorizes President Joe Biden to extend the deadline by another 90 days if he determines there’s been progress toward a sale.
Remember: The House in March passed TikTok legislation, which gave ByteDance roughly six months to sell the company. Some senators had then expressed concern that the deadline may have been too short.
Mike Johnson faces threats of an ouster. He advanced the foreign aid package anyway
From CNN's Kaanita Iyer
After months of resisting putting a foreign aid bill on the House floor, Speaker Mike Johnson finally moved to advance a package this week, drawing ire from some hardline members of the Republican Party who are now supporting an effort to oust him.
Three House GOP members have said they will support a motion to vacate the speaker: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene — who leads the effort —Thomas Massie and Paul Gossar. Greene could move to oust Johnson as early as Saturday.
Remember: House Republicans have a razor-thin majority and Johnson would need Democratic support to save his speakership. Johnson has maintained that he will not resign.
This is the second motion to vacate in nearly six months. The attempt to oust Johnson comes just months after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from the top leadership post in early October. Such efforts reveal the divide among House Republicans as they look to expand their majority in November.
“When you do the right thing, you let the chips fall where they may,” Johnson said in aninterview with CNN’s Jake Tapperon Wednesday.
Read CNN's Stephen Collinson's analysis on how doing "the right thing" may cost Johnson his speaker’s gavel here.
CNN's Melanie Zanona,Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Lauren Fox,Haley Talbot,Melanie ZanonaandMichelle Shen contributed to this post.
