House GOP’s aid bills for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan advance with Democrats’ help [Video]

Washington — The House cleared a procedural hurdle to advance legislation to provide billions of dollars in stalled security funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Friday, steering the measures closer toward passage this weekend.

The full House voted to approve the rule for debate on the legislative package with broad bipartisan support, 316 to 94. Democrats ultimately delivered more votes than Republicans — 165 Democrats voted in favor, while 39 opposed it, and 151 Republicans voted in favor, and 55 opposed.

After the procedural vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he was “happy the rule passed,” and said if it hadn’t, the House would have been forced by a discharge petition to pass the Senate version of the bill, which he referred to as a “blank check for foreign aid.” 

“Even though it’s not the perfect legislation, it’s not the legislation that we worked, [that] we would write if Republicans were …