You’ve likely heard by now that the House finally elected a new Speaker! After twenty days of failed votes on three GOP nominees, the entire Republican conference voted in favor of electing Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker. Staying under the radar ended up being Rep. Johnson’s biggest asset. Because other nominees held leadership or committee chairman positions, they made enemies within the GOP due to disagreements on strategy or negotiations. Rep. Johnson, however, had a clean record. While the conference’s wariness was offset by the urgency of electing a Speaker, their coalescence around Rep. Johnson spoke to his character and leadership potential.
In 2020, Eagle Forum PAC endorsed Rep. Johnson for his re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as Chair of the Republican Study Committee, a conservative caucus that advocates for smaller government and traditional values. He had established a clear pro-life record, issued statements against so-called “equality” legislation, and was a vocal opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment. Currently, Rep. Johnson has a 100% score with Eagle Forum for this Congress. We are hopeful that he can continue his conservatism and pro-family principles as he steers the House.
Speaker Johnson wasted no time getting the House back to work. He immediately moved a resolution in support of Israel (H.Res. 771) which overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 412-10.
He then picked up where the House left off with votes on appropriations bills. So far, the House has passed appropriations for Defense (H.R. 4365), Homeland Security (H.R. 4367), Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (H.R. 4366), and State and Foreign Operations (H.R. 4665). This week, the House passed appropriations for Energy and Water (H.R. 4394) which included provisions to fight the Biden administration’s climate change agenda, eliminate offices of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and prohibit critical race theory training. The remaining seven bills will be voted on by the full House in the upcoming weeks.
With the war in Israel at hand, Congress is working on a supplemental package to help fund foreign aid priorities. President Biden has requested a $106 billion package that would not only provide aid to Israel, but also Ukraine, Taiwan, and the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate is supporting Biden’s approach But conservatives believe merging these various provisions is problematic. The federal government has already allocated $113 billion to Ukraine for its defense against Russia even though there is no articulated plan or end in sight. While border security funding sounds appealing, the bill will not make any necessary reforms to mitigate the border crisis. It will only allow the U.S. to process illegals more quickly without implementing any additional restrictions or oversight.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has joined Democrats in supporting the Biden plan. He has categorized these conflicts as “worldwide problems.” However, his colleagues feel differently. Nine Republican Senators sent a letter to Senate leadership requesting that Israel funding not be used as leverage for Ukraine funding. The letter states:
… we know there will no doubt be efforts to attach any funding to Israel to more aid to Ukraine, in excess of the already $113 billion Congress has provided to Ukraine. These are two separate conflicts and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line.
The House is already moving forward with a stand-alone supplemental for Israel. As written, the $14.3 billion aid would be offset by rescinding provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act that expanded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). President Biden has already promised to veto this legislation if it comes to his desk due to the insertion of “partisanship into support for Israel” which is his way of saying that the Palestinians deserve money too. He talks out of both sides of his mouth by vocally supporting Israel and promoting funds for Palestine at the same time.
Eagle Forum is pleased with Speaker Johnson’s swift, yet strategic actions to provide support for Israel against Hamas without playing political games. We are looking forward to his conservative leadership as the House considers legislation on appropriations and national defense.
