© Reuters. Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) smiles as he reacts to the applause of members of the House after being elected to be the new Speaker at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Newly elected U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said on Thursday that funding to support Ukraine and Israel should be handled separately, suggesting he will not back President Joe Biden’s $src06 billion aid package for both countries.
Johnson, who was speaking in an interview on Fox News, said he met with Biden on Thursday and told White House staff “our consensus among House Republicans is we need to bifurcate those issues.”
Biden wants Congress to provide $src06 billion in supplemental funding, with the bulk of the money going to bolster Ukraine’s defenses and the remainder split among Israel, Indo-Pacific and border enforcement.
Johnson’s said his concerns are about Ukraine. “We want to know what the object is there, what is the end game in Ukraine,” he said, adding “the White House has not provided that.”
Biden is betting that including money for Israel and immigration will help convince House Republicans wary of sending additional money to Ukraine to support the measure.
The package includes $src4.3 billion for Israel to fund air and missile defense support and other initiatives, as well as $6src billion for Ukraine.