How a Determined Mike Johnson Negotiated Political Landmines to Win Ukraine Aid

After months of party infighting, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) leaned on centrist members of the GOP and the support of Democrats to pass a major foreign aid bill aiding Ukraine in the face of heated anger from hard-right Republicans who continue to threaten his position.

Johnson's overwhelming victory after an intricate series of negotiations and cajoling was a surprise, leading CNN to dub him an "unlikely Churchill" in the face of dire circumstances for Ukraine had he failed.

The win was all the more surprising becasue as a rank-and-file member of the House, the Louisiana congressman had voted against sending aid to Ukraine. He has also been closely aligned with Donald Trump and the former president's allies in Congress, who fiercely oppose Ukraine aid. Those funds are now part of the House's $95 billion package also providing aid to Israel, Taiwan, other allies, and humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

After months of receiving intelligence from national security experts and speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Johnson reportedly prayed about his decision before pushing forward with the legislation.

"He told me the next day: I want to be on the right side of history," said Representative Michael McCaul, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Johnson's decision to pass the bill — without the increased border security funding that many conservative colleagues demanded — was also partially the result of the impact the war in Ukraine could have on his own family.

"To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys. My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall," Johnson told reporters. "This is a live-fire exercise for me as it is so many American families. This is not a game, this is not a joke."

Johnson reportedly called House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to ensure the bill would have Democratic support, and Jeffries asked him how many Republicans could be relied upon to support the bill. Johnson emphasized the importance of the bill to him, noting that he didn't care if pushing the bill through would jeopordize his career, CNN reported.

"History judges us for what we do," Johnson told reporters last week. "This is a critical time right now. I could make a selfish decision and do something that's different. But I'm doing here what I believe to be the right thing. I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important."

Many House members, however, have criticized the delay in Johnson's decision to finally bring the legislation to the floor — arguing that funding could have been passed months ago without forcing unnecessary bloodshed on Ukraine in its increasingly difficult war with Russia.

"We have walked through broken glass to get a result, all of which could have been done before Christmas, but we're bringing it out until nearly summer," Republican Patrick McHenry told CNN. "That is an active choice that I disagree with."

Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin characterized Johnson's decision as a "profile in delay" rather than a profile in courage.

And for many hard-right Republicans, Johnson's decision is a betrayal, which threatens to put his speakership at greater risk than ever.

"This is the third betrayal by Mike Johnson," a furious Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told reporters, on Saturday. "A foreign war package that does nothing for America? It's unbelievable. I'm thankful that America gets to see who this man is."

She doubled down in an interview on Fox News on Sunday: "Mike Johnson's speakership is over. He needs to do the right thing and resign. If he doesn't do so, he will be vacated."

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Republicans, Congress, Ukraine