(NewsNation) — A fight is brewing between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Mike Johnson over whether or not to keep military aid to Ukraine and Israel tied together.
House Republicans are the group who are mostly opposed to funding Ukraine and will be pushing to introduce a $14.5 billion aid package just for Israel.
Many Republicans on Capitol Hill, along with Democrats and the White House, say they want to see the U.S. continue funding Ukraine with money and weapons, with McConnell as one of the leading voices for this charge.
McConnell wants to address the conflicts together, arguing China, Russia and Iran, acting as a new “axis of evil,” are going up against the U.S. McConnell says the response to all of them should be one aid package that helps Taiwan with China, Ukraine with Russia and that helps Israel push back against Hamas, and in effect, Iran.
Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, agrees with McConnell but acknowledges many of his Republican colleagues in the House are against the linking of Ukraine and Israel’s aid packages.
“To me, it makes sense to put them all together,” McCaul told NewsNation. He believes Ukraine aid is not at risk, saying, “I think even if we pass Israel on its own, that we’re going to get all four of those threats in a package coming back from the Senate.”
If the House decides to vote on an aid package just for Israel, the Democrat-controlled Senate could still send it back with aid for Ukraine added on.
But if the back and forth leads to a prolonged fight, neither Israel nor Ukraine will receive aid.
This will be the first real test for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has previously voted against additional aid for Ukraine but has indicated an openness to push back against Vladimir Putin in recent days.