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House Speaker Mike Johnson vowed to take another swing at passing an aid package to Israel this week in the wake of Iran’s unprecedented attacks against the US ally and dropped some hints about war-torn Ukraine.

“We have understood the urgency of this from the very beginning,” Johnson told Fox News’ “Morning with Maria.” “We passed our Israel support package [last year]. It’s been sitting on Chuck Schumer’s desk ever since, because we included a pay-for, as you remember.

“We’re going to try again this week,” he went on. “And the details of that package are being put together right now. We’re looking at the options on all these supplemental issues.”


  House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is going to push for aid to Ukraine and Israel this week. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee House Speaker Mike Johnson said he is going to push for aid to Ukraine and Israel this week. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Johnson (R-La.) previously pushed through a standalone package for Israel early on in his speakership, but it was never taken up by the Democrat-controlled Senate, whose leadership wanted that support paired with military assistance for Ukraine. Democrats also opposed proposed cuts to the IRS in that bill.

Back in February, the Senate passed a roughly $95 billion supplemental that allocated about $14 billion for Israel and $60 billion to Ukraine, but Johnson declined to take that up for a vote in the House of Representatives.

At the time, he cited concerns about the lack of border security reforms, though Republicans opposed a prior $118 billion supplemental that included provisions aimed at bolstering border security. 

In March, Johnson told The Post that it was important the House didn’t take up Ukraine aid before wrapping up the delicate appropriations process for fiscal year 2024, which Congress finished last month — six months late. 

Firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has threatened to spark a motion to oust the speaker — as a warning that she could initiate a mutiny against him if he takes up Ukraine aid. Johnson has already roiled her on government surveillance and appropriations.


  Ukrainian soldiers firing a M101 howitzer towards Russian positions near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region on March 22, 2024. AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File Ukrainian soldiers firing a M101 howitzer towards Russian positions near Avdiivka in the Donetsk region on March 22, 2024. AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File

Johnson met with Greene last week and then later with Trump on Friday in Mar-a-Lago.

“[Trump’s] introduced the loan-lease concept, which is a really important one that I think has a lot of consensus, as well as these other ideas, the REPO Act, which we have discussed, which is seizing the assets of corrupt Russian oligarchs to help pay for this resistance,” he said.

“We will put something together and send it to the Senate and get these obligations completed.”

Trump lent Johnson his support, saying it’s “not an easy situation for any speaker” and that ” I think he’s doing a very good job.” The former president also sought to nudge Greene into being more understanding.

“He and I are 100% united on these big agenda items,” Johnson claimed. Green also bashed Johnson for not pushing harder against the Biden administration on border security.

“What Marjorie fails to notice is that we have been fighting on the border. We fight on it every day,” Johnson shot back, before contending that he prioritized averting a government shutdown to avoid the ripple effects on the border. 

“Imagine Border Patrol agents not being paid and those open borders, the responsibility for that being shifted to us. Imagine troops not being paid at this dangerous time. So that simply wasn’t an option for us, it would have reflected badly on us.”

Greene first dangled the motion to vacate just as the House of Representatives was wrapping up the appropriations process last month to stave off a government shutdown. After meeting with the speaker, she kept that option on the table. 

“That’s a distraction. What Marjorie’s done with the motion to vacate is not helpful for our party, for our mission to save the country, because, if we don’t grow the House majority, keep the House majority, win the Senate and win back the White House for President Trump, we’re going to lose the republic,” Johnson warned ominously.

With Post wires


  Johnson said that former President Donald Trump is “100% united” with him on issues like Ukraine and Israel Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Johnson said that former President Donald Trump is “100% united” with him on issues like Ukraine and Israel Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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