House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) does not have many GOP accomplishments to show for his six months in office. However, he can change all that this month by following through on his proposal to deliver aid to Ukraine and reverse one of President Joe Biden‘s harmful anti-energy policies.
A majority of the House Republican caucus wants to send Ukraine the weapons and ammunition it needs to fight successfully against Russia. This would be a national security win for America. The front lines are at a standstill, but since the war began, Ukrainian forces have liberated the city of Kherson, kept control of Odesa, and destroyed much of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
The Ukrainian parliament just passed a law lowering the age of conscription into the army. This is a nation committed to defending itself. But it is in desperate need of ammunition to keep Russian forces from taking new territory and slaughtering civilians. The end game, as it always has been, is a negotiated peace with Russia. But every round of ammunition we send means a better final deal and more Ukrainian lives saved from Russian oppression.
House Republicans’ concern that aid to Ukraine is not paid for is legitimate. Johnson has mitigated these concerns in two ways. First, he is pushing to include legislation that would enable part of the aid bill to be paid for by the selling of Russian assets frozen by the United States. This would not come close to paying the whole bill, but it is a step in the right direction. Johnson also plans to structure the aid as a loan, an idea former President Donald Trump endorsed.
Separately, Johnson also plans to include language in his Ukraine legislation that would reverse Biden’s moratorium on liquefied natural gas exports. First, this would be a big GOP win for two reasons. It boosts domestic energy producers, opening access to larger markets for them to sell their goods. This would create jobs and grow our economy. Second, it would weaken Russian President Vladimir Putin and all authoritarian energy producers in the region. It is a win-win for the economy and national security and would appropriately check Biden’s extreme climate agenda.
Despite all this, some in the House are threatening to try to remove Johnson from the speaker’s office should he follow through on his plan to undermine Biden’s energy agenda and send more aid to Ukraine. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has filed a motion to vacate the chair in response to the $1.2 trillion spending bill Johnson passed with a majority of Democratic votes last month. She is threatening to demand a vote on it if Johnson puts a Ukraine package on the floor.
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The speaker should call her bluff. After tying herself to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Greene has found herself politically isolated since he left office. There are plenty of Republicans disappointed in Johnson’s leadership, but the appetite for another marathon voting session to replace Johnson is small. The danger that the process could produce Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is real. Few Republicans support Greene’s antics. And Democrats realize that if they want Ukraine aid, which they say they do, playing with arsonists such as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Greene will needlessly delay Ukraine aid again.
Johnson had a tough job when he was sworn into office, and it has become tougher, sometimes due to his actions, such as flip-flopping on FISA reform, and sometimes not, such as several Republicans leaving the chamber. However, as difficult as the job is, Johnson has risen to the challenge and still has an obligation to fight for national security and economic growth. A Ukraine aid package that rescinds Biden’s LNG export ban would do both.