House Rules Committee passes foreign aid bills with Democratic support, rule vote heads to floor

Late Thursday night, the House Rules Committee passed a series of foreign aid bills out of committee using Democratic support, in a sign that Republicans in the chamber will need to rely on Democrats to pass the legislation.

Late Thursday night, the House Rules Committee passed a series of foreign aid bills out of committee using Democratic support, in a sign that Republicans in the chamber will need to rely on Democrats to pass the legislation. Three Republicans – Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Chip Roy of Texas – voted against the legislation in committee, but all Democrats on the panel voted for it. The three Republican hardliners on the panel had threatened to oppose a rule on the foreign aid bills. The four bills head to the House floor on Friday for their first test on the floor with a rule vote. A vote on final passage is expected Saturday. House Speaker Mike Johnson, appearing on Newsmax, suggested the timing for a vote on the package would be “early Saturday.” He did not elaborate, and his office told CNN exact timing is still being worked out. According to the rule, if the bills pass the House, they will be combined into one amendment before being sent to the Senate. Earlier Thursday, the House Freedom Caucus took an official stance urging House Republicans to oppose the procedural vote, arguing “to secure the border we must kill the rule.”