House Speaker Mike Johnson's tightrope walk took on a new level of difficulty over the weekend, as Israel faced down a retaliatory attack from Iran. While the flurry of Iranian drones and cruise missiles were almost entirely intercepted, the attack highlighted the lack of progress in the House on a supplemental funding bill that would provide U.S. military assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Johnson, R-La., reiterated Sunday that he would not be putting the bill — which already passed with bipartisan support in the Senate — on the House floor for a vote. Instead, he still prefers to try to cobble together a package more amenable to his mercurial caucus. I appreciate that Johnson has at least finally begun to embrace the need for Ukraine funding, despite the opposition of some of his more hard-line members. But the speaker needs to acknowledge the uncomfortable reality of his tenure: While on paper Johnson leads a Republican majority, in practice, he oversees a coalition government in all but name. This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest article. Read the full column here. |
