Ukraine Aid Shows MAGA Hasn’t Cowed Johnson
Instead of caving to extremists, the House speaker rejected the isolationism that has come to dominate that wing of the party.
Mike Johnson for the win.
Photographer: Nathan Howard/Getty Images North AmericaHouse Speaker Mike Johnson endured a titanic struggle to get Ukraine aid through the House, one that demonstrates the benefits of cooperation and the pitfalls of extremism.
His ultimate success on Saturday, however, came at a dear price, one paid by Ukrainians in blood and in the countless lives that might have been saved had Johnson taken up the bill when it was passed by the Senate in February. His refusal to marshal the coalition of Democratic and GOP votes in support of the package faded this week in the face of expert briefings that finally convinced him of the gravity of the situation and the importance of Ukraine’s fight to US interests.