Quick Hit:

With the support of Democrats, the House Rules Committee has advanced Speaker Mike Johnson's package of foreign aid bills for Ukraine and Israel. The legislation, which overcame significant opposition from congressional Republicans, will now be voted on by the full House over the weekend.

Key Details:

• The House Rules Committee voted 9-3 to advance the package, with Democratic support being a rare occurrence for Republican bills.
• Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Thomas Massie, and Ralph Norman voted against the rule, expressing frustration that aid to Ukraine was not paired with conservative border security provisions.
• The rule does not raise the threshold to bring a motion to oust the speaker, a change that several members of the Republican conference had called for.

Diving Deeper:

The package of bills providing aid to Israel, Ukraine, and other allies was advanced after Democrats took the unusual step of supporting a procedural vote for Republican bills. This move was met with opposition from Republican Reps. Chip Roy, Thomas Massie, and Ralph Norman, who voted against the rule due to their dissatisfaction that aid to Ukraine was not paired with conservative border security provisions.

Despite the opposition, the vote on Thursday night has paved the way for the full House to vote on the rule and begin debate on the foreign aid bills. Various parts of the package are expected to pass with bipartisan coalitions this weekend. Ahead of the vote, Democratic leaders had not committed to supporting the rule, as the text was not yet available. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson had previously pushed to pair aid to Ukraine with border security provisions. However, his efforts were met with resistance, leading to several rules failing on the floor, largely due to objections from the right flank of the party. Despite calls from several members of the Republican conference to raise the threshold to bring a motion to oust the speaker, Johnson announced that the House "will continue to govern under the existing rules."

The advancement of the foreign aid bills marks a significant step in providing support to Ukraine and Israel. However, the process has highlighted divisions within the Republican party and the challenges faced by House Speaker Mike Johnson in navigating these differences.