US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said on Sunday that he expects to introduce a package that includes aid to Ukraine when the House returns from recess and expects the package to include "some important innovations," UNN reports citing The Hill.
Details
Johnson, in an interview with Sunday Night in America With Trey Gowdy, stressed the difficult position he’s in, with a historically narrow House majority, but said that he was working throughout the current work period to come up with a package and plans to put it on the floor when the House gavels back into session.
"Look, what we have to do in an era of divided government – historically, as we are – you got to build consensus. If we want to move a partisan measure, I got to have every single member, literally," Johnson said. "And some things need to be bipartisan."
"But when it comes to the supplemental, we’ve been working to build that consensus. We’ve been talking to all the members especially now over the district work period. When we return after this work period, we’ll be moving a product, but it’s going to, I think, have some important innovations," Johnson said.
Johnson floated as examples the possibilities of extending a loan to Ukraine – an idea that gained some traction earlier this month, as a way to back Ukraine in a way that might assuage conservative concerns about providing more aid as Ukraine fights against Russian aggression.
Johnson also mentioned the REPO for Ukrainians Act, which would authorize the president to seize Russian sovereign assets frozen in the U.S. and give them to Ukraine to use against Russia.
"The REPO Act, you know, if we can use the seized assets of Russian oligarchs to allow the Ukrainians to fight them, that’s just pure poetry," Johnson said. "Even President Trump has talked about the loan concept, where … we’re not just giving foreign aid. We’re setting it up in a relationship where they can provide it back to us when the time is right."
Johnson added that, in an effort to "unleash American energy," he wants "to have natural gas exports that will help un-fund Vladimir Putin’s war effort there, you know," he said, adding, "There’s a lot of things that we should do that … make more sense and that I think we’ll have consensus around."
"We’re putting that product together and we’ll be moving it right after the district work period," Johnson said.
The interview took place at a time when Johnson made it clear that he intends to pass a law that will provide funding for Ukraine, but has not yet explained what exactly it will look like.
Addendum
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Republican Mike Turner said earlier Sunday that he is confident that support for Ukraine will have "overwhelming support" when the US Congress returns from Easter recess, emphasizing Johnson's pledge to make funding for Ukraine a priority upon his return.