re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he would plunge ahead with a high-stakes vote to move long-stalled funding for Ukraine, Israel and other overseas allies, elbowing aside criticism from his conservative flank just as he faces the most significant challenge to his young leadership.

Johnson’s plan envisions four bills—one each for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and a fourth bill containing many Republican priorities, including a ban or forced sale of TikTok in the U.S. House Republican leaders posted three of the four bills on Wednesday afternoon, with a final vote expected Saturday evening.

The move sets up an unpredictable weekend showdown that could determine both the fate of the foreign aid package and Johnson’s political career. It came as conservatives were again demanding border provisions in exchange for their support, while Democrats, who had favored the bill the Senate passed earlier this year, kept their cards close while preparing a backup plan if needed to force through aid.

Johnson took the leap as his political powers—always limited because of his narrow majority in the chamber and reliance on Democrats to pass key legislation—were at a new low. On Tuesday, a second GOP lawmaker signed on to a motion to remove the Louisiana Republican from the speaker job, and some lawmakers said they believed his career in leadership could be effectively over, whether now or at the end of the term.

For the package to pass this weekend, Johnson will likely need significant Democratic votes, just as he did on a series of bills to avoid government shutdowns in recent months.

Republicans remained divided Wednesday. Johnson’s approach, unveiled earlier in the week, didn’t include any immigration policy provisions, angering many conservatives who have insisted on border-security measures. Johnson met with Republicans from all corners of his conference late into Tuesday night to craft a way forward on legislation, and talks continued into Wednesday.

In announcing he was moving ahead with the aid package, Johnson said the House would vote on a separate border security measure that contained portions of Republicans’ signature H.R. 2 bill, which passed the House last year. The outcome of that vote won’t have any effect on the foreign-aid plan, and critics said it didn’t address their concerns about the package.

Johnson has said for weeks he planned to lay out his long-stalled proposal on foreign aid, months after the Senate passed a $95 billion measure that wrapped together money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian efforts. Congressional leaders of both parties and President Biden had urged Johnson to take up the Senate bill, but he opted for a different approach to try to work around sharp disagreements in the GOP over further aid to Kyiv.

The House effort gained new urgency after Iran launched a wave of more than 300 drones and cruise and ballistic missiles toward Israel last weekend, while conditions in Ukraine have continued to deteriorate in the country’s third year of trying to repel a Russian invasion.

Democrats were working to tee up a discharge petition, which would put the Senate bill on the House floor without forcing Johnson to take the politically tenuous step of bringing it up himself. Still, the petition maneuver needs a majority of the chamber, rarely works and was last used in 2015.

Republicans who support sending aid to Ukraine were threatening to sign the Democrats’ petition, according to people familiar with the discussions, and Democratic leaders were encouraging members to reach out to GOP colleagues. Nearly all Democrats have signed the petition.

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