Johnson Urges GOP Senators to Unite on War Aid and Other Funding

House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to address Senate Republicans during a closed-door policy lunch in an effort to convince skeptics about his strategy on government funding and emergency war aid for U.S. allies.

This meeting comes just 16 days before the government shutdown deadline and amidst party divisions over supplemental aid for Ukraine, Israel, humanitarian assistance for the Gaza Strip, Taiwan, and U.S. southern border security.

House Republicans and some GOP senators prefer individual foreign aid bills, while President Biden, other Democrats, and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell want to bundle them together.

President Biden has requested a $106 billion package, but Senate Republicans argue that it does not go far enough in addressing the issues at the U.S.-Mexico border.

This week, the House will vote on a $14.3 billion Israel aid bill, which takes money from the boosted IRS budget under the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats view the GOP legislation as a non-starter.

“Conceptually, [Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer] and I are in the same place in the sense that we view all of these problems as connected,” said Mr. McConnell. “That’s an opinion many people have. It’s not surprising, but in order to make a law, you have to pass both bodies and be signed by the president.”

Conservative senators accuse Mr. McConnell of undermining Mr. Johnson’s efforts to unite the Republican conference following weeks of chaos resulting from the ouster of California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

Fellow Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul criticized Mr. McConnell for siding with Democrats and claimed that his opinion is disconnected from the conservative electorate of Kentucky and the Republican Party.