Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, pledged he would protect House Speaker Mike Johnson's gavel provided he supports the $66.32 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which was dubbed the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, The Hill reported.
During a Zoom call facilitated by the bipartisan group "No Labels," Golden implied that Johnson should "put this bill on the floor or something like it that addresses the border, Ukraine, Israel, and can pass the Senate and become law because this is so important, and keep our government open and funded."
"I’ll vote to protect speaker Mike Johnson," he added.
The bill was proposed following the collapse of a Senate bill that provided more aid to Ukraine than the southern border. The bill, which includes divisions — "A" and "B" — A for the border and B for defending democracies, does not, at the time of review, include any aid to secure the southern border. The package earmarks $47 billion for Ukraine, $10 billion for Israel, $5 billion for Taiwan, and $2 billion for U.S. Central Command operations, alongside reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" policy for a year, with no provision for humanitarian aid to Gaza.
"If Speaker Johnson takes action in the House to secure the border, provide urgently needed aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, and pass a spending bill to avoid a government shutdown — and does so in a manner that can pass the U.S. Senate — then Congressman Golden would oppose a motion to vacate," Golden's office said in a statement.
The development comes in the context of heightened political sensitivity surrounding the Johnson' role, especially following the historic ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Under the current rules, any single member can force a vote to remove the speaker.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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