House GOP vows Israel vote after Iran attack amid bipartisan pressure on aid package

House Republican leadership announced on Saturday that the chamber will vote next week on Israel legislation after Iran launched an aerial attack that quickly fueled new bipartisan calls for a foreign aid package.

The announcement, from Majority Leader Steve Scalise, comes after the Israeli Defense Forces confirmed that Iran launched a major aerial drone attack against Israel, which is expected to try to intercept the drones before they reach their intended targets.

“In light of Iran’s unjustified attack on Israel, the House will move from its previously announced legislative schedule next week to instead consider legislation that supports our ally Israel and holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable,” Scalise said in a statement.

The announcement didn’t immediately make clear what legislation the House will vote on, or what it means for a broader Senate foreign aid package, which would pair funding for Israel with assistance for Ukraine and Taiwan, that has languished in the House. Scalise said that “more details… will be forthcoming.”

But Republican leaders are facing growing bipartisan pressure to take up an aid package in the wake of Iran’s attack.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell pushed for the House to take up the Senate-passed foreign aid package, saying it would "provide critical resources" for Israel, "overdue lethal assistance" for Ukraine and help for Taiwan. It marks the latest example of the Republican leader trying to nudge his GOP counterparts across the Capitol into taking up a bill they've so far resisted.

"The Commander-in-Chief and the Congress must discharge our fundamental duties without delay. The consequences of failure are clear, devastating, and avoidable," McConnell (R-Ky.) added in a statement.

Meanwhile, some House Republicans argued the U.S. must speed up aid to Israel to shore up its defense. And Democrats joined McConnell to continue to press Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on a package that also includes assistance for Ukraine, which has been stalled for two months after passing the Senate.

“In Congress, we must take action as well. Speaker Johnson must bring forward a supplemental package of aid for Israel in order to support them in their time of need,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said in a statement on Saturday.

The chair of the panel that controls much of the Pentagon’s budget, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), said the U.S. must provide fresh aid in tandem with intelligence sharing with Israel.

"The U.S. Congress must immediately pass a supplemental to provide additional supplies, including counter-UAS capability for both Israel and our military in the region, and send an unmistakable signal to Iran that we stand fully by our ally," Calvert said in a statement.

The Senate passed a $95 billion bill in February with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, garnering immediate pushback from Johnson and other House Republicans for not including border security measures.

And it’s been stuck in the House as Johnson has worked to craft an alternative package, which he’s acknowledged he’ll need help from Democrats to pass, and is navigating resistance among his right flank for any additional funding for Ukraine.

Johnson didn’t address Israel aid directly in a statement on Saturday, saying that he would “ continue to engage with the White House to insist upon a proper response.”

But the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s ranking member Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), told MSNBC that in an effort to expedite an aid package, he was reaching out to his GOP counterpart in the committee, Chair Mike McCaul (R-Texas), and others.

“I am reaching out to talk to chairman McCaul and others so that we can try to get the supplemental on the floor to vote on Monday,” Meeks said. “We talked about, last week, how extremely important passing a supplemental was for Ukraine and Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid. This escalates that need.”

Several House Democrats immediately called for Johnson to take up the Senate bill once the House returns next week — a step that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has hinted could trigger a vote to try to oust Johnson for the speakership.

“It is absolutely imperative that when the House returns on Monday, we pass the national security supplemental immediately to provide Israel and Ukraine with essential aid to defend itself and deter further attacks from Iran and Russia. Our allies cannot afford to wait any longer, and neither should we,” Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement.

“The Speaker has a responsibility to put the supplemental sent to us by the Senate on the Floor as soon as we return on Monday,” he added.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) wrote on X that “Congress should immediately pass the Supplemental Appropriations bill which contains $14 billion to defend Israel.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) chided Johnson, who recently appeared at ex-President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club. “U.S. support for Israel’s security must be immediate & ironclad. The president is doing the right thing,” he said in a post. “Mr Speaker: your turn. Come back from Mar-a-Lago and put the Israel & Ukraine bill on the floor on Monday.”

A spokesperson for Johnson added on Saturday that he had been briefed and “received regular updates.” And members of the intelligence community briefed members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees earlier this week, two aides confirmed to POLITICO, over the potential that Iran could launch an attack.

House Republicans indicated earlier this week that they still expected Johnson to bring a foreign aid package to the House floor next week.

But while the Louisiana Republican has flirted with various options — including bringing Israel and Ukraine aid up for separate votes or adding provisions to roll back some of Biden’s energy policies — he has yet to outline his path forward.

A bipartisan coalition in the House rolled out a narrower $66 billion package that paired aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with tougher border restrictions. They’ve launched a long-shot gambit, known as a discharge petition, to try to force a vote on the bill on the House floor.

President Joe Biden requested nearly $100 billion in October to provide military and humanitarian assistance for the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza as well as to arm Pacific nations.

While the Senate cleared a package that grants most of Biden’s request with bipartisan support in February, Johnson has instead held votes on Israel-only aid bills in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that sparked the war.

The House passed legislation in November largely along party lines that includes $14.5 billion to assist Israel, but slashed funding for the IRS promoted by Biden and Democrats. Johnson brought up a clean $17.6 billion Israel aid bill in February but it failed to overcome the higher two-thirds suspension threshold.

Some Republicans pointed back at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, pressing him to bring up the Israel-only aid package that the House passed late last year.

“The House has passed a good bill that is ready for Senate passage right now,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said in a statement. “Nothing before the Senate is more important and I will do everything in my power to make sure that vote happens.”