The first steps of the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, show that he will stick to the hard line of a number of Republican Party representatives in the lower house. This is reported by The Washington Post, noting that there are less than two weeks left before a possible government shutdown. In particular, it cites the aid bill for Israel, which was “immediately rejected” by the Senate and the White House. Nor is it possible to find a compromise in Congress on support for Ukraine. According to experts, Johnson’s assumption of the post of speaker and his first steps are already exacerbating political tensions in Congress, which could affect the amount of aid for Kiev.
The actions of the new speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, demonstrate that he will adhere to the hard line of a number of representatives of the Republican Party in the lower house. The Washington Post reports that.
“Johnson’s first steps show that he will join the hardliners in the House of Representatives,” the publication writes.
As WP notes, when Johnson took office as speaker, he promised to unite the Republican Party and work with House Democrats on a range of issues, including government spending, but his first days in office led to another congressional controversy.
“His first full week in office was marked by the passage of measures that drove a wedge not only between liberals and conservatives, but also between the House and Senate. And with less than a fortnight to go before a possible government shutdown, Johnson’s first steps suggest that the road to agreement between members of both parties will prove difficult,” the publication noted.
As one such example, WP cited the House of Representatives’ passage of Johnson’s proposed bill that would provide $14.3bn in aid to Israel “by cutting the US IRS’s ability to audit corporations and high-income individuals”.
Mike Johnson called on the upper house of Congress and the Biden administration to “act quickly” and approve the document. However, the Senate and the White House rejected the initiative “immediately,” WP writes.
Thus, the leader of the Democrats in the upper chamber, Chuck Schumer, explained his decision by the fact that the bill does not contain a clause on assistance to Ukraine, and called it “an unserious proposal”. For its part, the White House motivated its position by the fact that the document supported in the lower chamber was “harmful to Israel, to the Middle East region” and to US national security.
In addition, according to the Biden administration, by excluding from the bill a clause on support for Kiev, representatives of the Republican Party “demonstrate divergence in the approach to allies” of the United States. The White House stressed that even if the bill passes through both houses of Congress, US President Joe Biden will veto it.
No compromise can be found in Congress on providing support for Ukraine either. Johnson said that the Republican Party in the US House of Representatives would consider the issues of financing Kiev and securing the US borders together, as the Republicans consider them a priority. At the same time, he emphasised that the United States cannot take care of other countries if it is unable to protect its own borders.
If a compromise on these issues is never found, there will be a shutdown and widespread cuts to federal programmes will begin as early as the end of April, WP warned.
“How Johnson handles disagreements on fiscal issues could determine his entire tenure as speaker. If the two parties fail to reach an agreement on spending, the government will be suspended on 18 November. And if no long-term spending bills are passed in Congress by the end of the (current – RT) year, comprehensive cuts (in funding – RT) to federal programmes will begin at the end of April (next year – RT),” the publication said.
To avoid a shutdown, Johnson also proposed a “multi-stage” funding plan for individual agencies and federal programmes “with separate rolling deadlines”, The Washington Post notes.
“(This. – RT) will lead to frequent debates until larger (budget. – RT) spending bills are passed,” the WP noted.
The Washington Post recalls that Congress is unable to reach agreement on a number of issues at a time when Ukraine “desperately needs” funding and Israel needs ammunition to keep Iron Dome operational and to maintain the intensity of the fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Biden and Senate leaders of both parties continue to call for additional funding for Ukraine and to counter Chinese aggression in the Pacific. Under these circumstances, Mike Johnson and his congressional colleagues will have to make tough decisions, the source said in a commentary to the publication.
“This will be a trial by fire, and he will have to make decisions under ‘battlefield’ conditions.” In a couple of weeks, when the ‘honeymoon period’ is over, they’re really going to have to make some tough decisions,” the source told WP.
According to the publication’s sources, Johnson risks finding himself in the same position as his predecessor.
“If the starting point for starting negotiations (with opponents. – RT) is allowed to be dictated by the Republican right wing, it leaves no room for any concessions,” The Washington Post explains.
The new speaker
Recall that in late October, Mike Johnson became Speaker of the lower house of the US Congress after his predecessor in this post, Kevin McCarthy, was sent into retirement.
In his first days as Speaker, Johnson, who is called in the media an “active supporter” of former President Donald Trump, made a number of high-profile statements. In particular, he noted in an interview with the Fox News channel that Joe Biden’s cognitive impairment is noticeable in his behaviour. According to him, this is not a personal insult, but a statement of fact. A little later, Johnson expressed concern in an interview with Fox News Business about Biden’s inability to “successfully” lead the United States. According to him, he and the White House chief of staff are “on different planets” with respect to political issues.
In particular, Johnson disagrees with the approach of Biden and his administration on Ukraine. The new speaker believes that the US leader’s request for $61.4bn in aid to Kiev and $14.3bn to Tel Aviv should be split. He also demanded that the White House report on the funds sent to Ukraine, emphasising that “Americans demand accountability for the dollars spent”.
According to the South China Morning Post, Johnson is “opposed to continuing to sponsor Kiev,” and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives “may simply refuse to honour US President Joe Biden’s demand.”
“A way to support Kiev.”
Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at the Moscow State University’s Institute of History and Politics, noted in a commentary for RT that Donald Trump supporter Mike Johnson’s assumption of the position of speaker of the US House of Representatives and his first steps are already exacerbating political tensions in Congress.
“There are very serious contradictions in the American political system as well as in society. These problems in domestic politics are provoked not only by the approaching presidential elections, but also by the involvement of the United States in two conflicts: the Ukrainian and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. Johnson’s initiatives as a committed Trumpist are radicalising the rhetoric of the Republican Party. The consequence of this will be a further split in the US political elite and an intensification of the struggle between its separate parts,” Shapovalov said.
According to him, if earlier the disputes between the two parties over the formation of the state budget for the United States were eventually “somehow resolved” through consensus, now it seems that the situation “is reaching a new level of conflict”. According to the analyst, the need for a new agreement on government spending could lead “to paralysing the government”.
“I think it will be quite difficult to find a compromise. The difference in the positions of the opposing parties is too strong. But it is still possible, provided that the amount of funds that the Biden administration has officially requested to support Ukraine is significantly reduced,” Shapovalov said.
Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Centre for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, shares this opinion. According to him, if the shutdown happens, it “will not last long.”
“Both parties will in any case find a compromise solution. Because if they don’t, the image of both Republicans and Democrats will be damaged. And this is not favourable for them,” he said in a conversation with RT.
At the same time, Blokhin reminded that if, after such a compromise in Congress, funding to Kiev will be “seriously limited,” the Biden administration will find alternative ways to provide aid to Ukraine.
“For example, Washington can do it through the CIA, through the secret spending items of its budget. Another option is to press European allies to allocate more money to the Kiev regime and collect the last weapons from their arsenals. The US can also help Ukraine through various non-governmental organisations and foundations. Therefore, Washington will always find a way to support Kiev,” Blokhin concluded.