As Speaker Johnson walks a delicate line between his national security committee chairmen and his hard-line conservative members, President Trump is criticizing the speaker’s new foreign aid bill, which he says gives too much to Ukraine. Yet Republican senators tell the Sun that the bill will be widely supported if it can reach the upper chamber. 

Mr. Johnson introduced his nearly $100 billion foreign aid bill on Wednesday. It is expected to be brought to the floor under a rule with Democratic support that allows members to vote on each individual component, including aid to Ukraine, Israel, Free China, and proposals to force a TikTok divestment and to seize Russian assets. 

“If they’re sending over the package in three bites, plus a fourth bite with some related issues, if that works then it works,” the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Cardin, tells the Sun. “I’d rather see our bill passed because it’ll get right to the president’s desk, but if we can get it done then let’s get it done.”

Mr. Johnson’s legislation is nearly identical to a $95 billion aid package passed by the Senate earlier this year. The speaker is just now allowed separate votes on each component, though he has included a $10 billion waivable loan to Ukraine as well as the TikTok and asset seizure components. 

“I voted for it in the Senate, so if it mirrors that then I expect I’ll support it,” Senator Boozman says. “It’s just important to get something that works and get it passed,” Senator Moran says, echoing his colleague’s sentiments. “Even if it’s slightly different than what we sent over, I think that would be welcomed.”

Senator Cornyn, who is vying to succeed Senator McConnell as Republican leader, tells the Sun the addition of the TikTok divestment bill — which has so far stalled in the Senate — is not likely to impede movement of Mr. Johnson’s foreign aid deal should it reach the Senate. 

“I saw that Maria Cantwell — chair of the Commerce Committee — said she supported that House bill, so I think that it would pass overwhelmingly in the Senate,” Mr. Cornyn said of the speaker’s legislation. 

Senator Young tells the Sun that the speaker is “working hard” to get something done, which he appreciates. “I commend him on that. I’m inclined to be supportive of whatever means he can advance to get it done,” the senator says.

Senate Republicans’ optimism is not matched by Mr. Trump, who on Thursday criticized the very concept of sending more money to Ukraine. “Why isn’t Europe giving more money to help Ukraine? Why is it that the United States is over $100 Billion Dollars into the Ukraine War more than Europe, and we have an Ocean between us as separation!” the former president said on Truth Social. “Why can’t Europe equalize or match the money put in by the United States of America in order to help a Country in desperate need?”

Before Mr. Trump weighed in on the foreign aid fight, conservatives in the House were threatening to remove Mr. Johnson from office for a number of reasons, though Congressman Thomas Massie describes the aid package as the last straw. 

On Thursday, Congressman Matt Gaetz said he hadn’t thought about supporting a motion to vacate before “today.” Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says that if the speaker continues down this path, he will likely face removal from office. 

Mr. Gaetz and Ms. Greene are joined in their fight by fellow Freedom Caucus members. According to Punchbowl News, Mr. Johnson is reportedly considering adding an amendment to the foreign aid rule that would raise the motion to vacate introduction threshold to a number much higher than just one member. Speaker McCarthy first set that one-member rule in 2023 in exchange for being elected speaker. 

Under Speaker Pelosi, only a fellow member of the Democratic leadership team could introduce a motion to vacate. Under Speaker Boehner, the motion to vacate required 25 signatures before it could be brought up for a vote. 

The Freedom Caucus, in hopes of stopping Mr. Johnson from putting the motion to vacate rule change on the floor, is now scheduling their members to be on the floor constantly. The Floor Action Response Team requires that at least one Freedom Caucus member be on the floor at all times in order to stop a unanimous consent motion to change the threshold.