Johnson Faces Do-Or-Die Moment On Aid To Ukraine

The New York Times reports:

Speaker Mike Johnson’s elaborate plan for pushing aid to Ukraine through the House over his own party’s objections relies on an unusual strategy: He is counting on House Democrats and their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, to provide the votes necessary to clear the way for it to come to the floor.

Given Republicans’ tiny margin of control, Johnson, R-La., will need their support on the aid itself. But before he even gets to that, he will need their votes on a procedural motion, known as a rule, to even bring the legislation to the floor — an unconventional expectation of the minority party.

The dynamic also increases the likelihood that Johnson will need Democrats again — to save his precarious speakership, now under threat from two members of his party, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

Read the full article.

When the procedural resistance of the hard right has threatened legislation Dems consider existential — avoiding catastrophic debt default,or arming an ally facing an invading dictator — they, too, have shown willingness to break w/convention on the rule.
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— Annie Karni (@anniekarni) April 17, 2024