Ukraine and Israel aid packages head for House vote in defiance of GOP far right

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to advance the process of passing a large foreign aid package before a final debate and vote set to take place on Saturday.

A bipartisan majority voted for the debate rule on four bills on sending aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as a fourth bill on fresh sanctions on Russia and the possible banning of TikTok in the US.

The foreign aid package passed the procedural hurdle by a margin of 316 to 94.

A total of 165 Democrats chose to back the rule put forward by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson – 151 Republicans also voted in support of the rule.

Thirty-nine Democrats and 55 Republicans voted against the measure.

The vote to advance the foreign aid package ahead of final passage comes after several days of Republican infighting between the party’s far-right, which opposes any further aid to Ukraine, and more moderate members.

On Thursday night, all of the Democrats on the Rules Committee voted to bring the rule to the floor helping, stepping in to bail out the speaker. Three rightwing Republicans, Reps Chip Roy, Ralph Norman, and Thomas Massie, voted against bringing the rule to the House for a full vote.

Hardright Republicans blasted the speaker on Friday.

“The question everyone should be asking is what deal did Speaker Johnson make with the Hakeem Jeffries to get the Democrats on the Rules Committee to vote for a Republican rule on the foreign war package which includes $60+ BILLION more to Ukraine? This never happens,” Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X on Friday before the vote of the full House.

“We do not have a Republican majority anymore, our Republican Speaker is literally controlled by the Democrats and giving them everything they