A group of moderate House lawmakers in both parties on Friday unveiled their proposal to provide aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, a narrower counter-proposal to the $95 billion Senate-passed foreign assistance bill passed earlier this week.

What You Need To Know

  • A bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled their proposal to provide aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan

  • The bill, which would provide roughly $66 billion in military aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, is narrower than the $95 billion Senate-passed foreign assistance bill passed earlier this week

  • It also includes some border security provisions sought by House Republicans, including reviving the “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy for one year

  • It’s unclear whether this will have enough support to pass the House, let alone the Democratic-controlled Senate, which is seeking much more for international allies, as evidenced by the bill passed earlier this week

The bill, known as the Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, would provide $66 billion in military aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan while also implementing some border security provisions sought by House Republicans, including reviving the “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy for one year and requiring the Homeland Security secretary to “suspend the entry of inadmissible aliens” if they determine that it’s necessary to regain operational control of the border.

The measure was introduced by Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican, and Maine Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, and has six co-sponsors, three from each party: Democratic Reps. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Texas and Jim Costa, D-Calif., and Republican Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore.

The immigration provisions are significant as it comes in the wake of Republican opposition to an even larger bipartisan Senate proposal that also included significant border reform. That was killed by Senate Republicans last week, despite the fact that one of their own members was a key negotiator on the measure, after opposition from House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP’s frontrunner for the presidential nomination, Donald Trump.

“Securing one’s borders is necessary to preserving one’s democracy and, therefore, necessary to maintaining world order and world peace,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “As the world’s oldest and strongest democracy, the United States’ primary responsibility must be to secure its own borders. But we also have an obligation to assist our allies in securing their borders, especially when they come under assault by dictators, terrorists, and totalitarians.”

“We secure our borders and help Ukraine defend itself against an immoral invasion by Russia in this bipartisan bill,” Bacon added. “We support Ukrainians who love freedom, Israelis who defend their homeland, and Taiwanese who want freedom. We stand for democratic values.”

“The country and world are watching whether the U.S. Congress is capable of addressing the critical issues in this measure," noted Case. "An indefinite impasse in the House after the Senate has acted is not acceptable. Clearly any measure to break this impasse and pass Congress must be bipartisan.”

All told, the bill would provide more than $47 billion to Ukraine as it works to repel Russia’s two-year invasion, $10 billion for Israel in its fight against Hamas, including $4 billion to replenish the Iron Dome missile defense system, nearly $5 billion to back U.S. and allied deterrence operations in the Indo-Pacific, as well as $2.44 billion for U.S. Central Command, including to aid expenses after recent skirmishes with Iran-backed rebels in the Red Sea.

It’s unclear whether this will have enough support to pass the House, let alone the Democratic-controlled Senate, which is seeking much more for international allies, as evidenced by the bill passed earlier this week. That measure also includes billions in humanitarian assistance for Gaza and Ukraine, as well as higher levels of foreign aid. The lack of inclusion of foreign aid could turn off some Democrats, who are more open to Ukraine aid amid Republican opposition.

The House went into recess on Thursday without taking up the foreign aid bill. Despite President Joe Biden urging the House to take up the measure quickly, Speaker Johnson has cast doubt on the bill, saying that his chamber “will not be jammed or forced into passing a foreign aid bill that was opposed by most Republican senators and does nothing to secure our own border” — despite expressing his opposition to the initial bipartisan border deal.

Johnson’s position has forced Democrats to consider other ways to get the bill on the floor, including the possibility of using a discharge petition, which would force a vote if enough Republicans join with Democrats to demand the measure be considered.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., declared this week that his caucus would “utilize every available legislative tool” to bring the bill for a vote.

“All options are on the table,” he added.

But it’s unclear whether enough Republicans would consider circumventing the speaker, a move that could spark backlash.

Fitzpatrick told NBC News that he didn’t get a promise from Johnson to put the bill up for a vote, but pledged to do “whatever it takes” to get the bill advanced, adding that the group will “have to talk to leadership of both parties and hopefully they’ll support it.”

"I think this is a good spot to be if you’re Republican," Bacon, a moderate Republican in a swing district in Nebraska, added, per the outlet. "You’re reducing the Senate bill by about 30%, so it’s fiscally more responsible. We know we got to do military aid to Ukraine or they’re going to fall, and it’ll cost us more if that happens, and we can deal with the border. I just feel good about what we’re doing.”