Democrats Weigh Rescuing Speaker Johnson as He Moves Ukraine Aid Forward

Congressional Democrats gathered on Thursday to consider an unusual step: lending Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson a hand in passing billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, and in the process potentially helping him hold on to his job.

Johnson has ended months of public silence and thrown his weight behind assistance for Kyiv, the most contentious piece of a four-part foreign aid package. Democratic lawmakers say they are prepared to do whatever is needed to ensure the measure clears the House despite fierce resistance from far-right Republicans.

The speaker's decision drew angry reactions from hardline GOP members, who pledged to use every tool available to block help for Ukraine as it tries to repel Russia's invasion. While a large majority of the House supports the aid, Republicans are divided roughly down the middle on the question.

That split could force Democrats to do something the minority party typically avoids: voting for a procedural measure that would bring the legislation to the House floor. The opposition normally votes as a bloc against such rules. Democrats are also pressing Johnson to hold the vote sooner than the Saturday evening vote currently planned.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, urged his colleagues to hold back for now on committing to support Johnson's strategy or to protect him if conservative critics try to remove him.

Passage of the Ukraine bill could prompt at least two of Johnson's critics to move ahead with a so-called motion to vacate, an effort to oust him as speaker. With Congress nearly evenly divided, the hardliners could easily strip Johnson of the majority he needs if every Democrat voted against him, as would ordinarily be expected.

It remains unclear whether Democrats would offer Johnson a lifeline by sitting out such a vote, or what concessions they might demand in return for any support.

Rep. John Garamendi, a veteran California Democrat, said the public should see that his party is using its leverage to advance important legislation while Johnson serves essentially as a figurehead. "Everything that needs to be done….will be done by the Democrats," he told CNN. "Republicans are in disarray. They cannot get the job done on their own."