The U.S. House of Representatives finally passed a $65 billion package of military aid to Ukarine, Israel and Taiwan this weekend after a needless and deadly six-month delay. Speaker Mike Johnson faced down Republican opponents with help from a majority of Democrats, whose votes had been there all along. Johnson’s GOP foes vowed to take him down as Speaker because his 4-bill package didn’t contain everything they wanted – after they turned down a Senate offer months ago to give them everything they wanted. But passage was necessary so the U.S. can replace the weapons it’s already sent to Ukraine and Israel, which undermined America’s ability to defend itself if need be; there was never a question that passing this bill was essential, but Republicans had a need to argue and delay for half a year while Ukrainians died for lack of ammunition, and Israelis and Taiwanese wondered whether the U.S. would keep its promises – a shameful episode from start to finish. At least Johnson finally did the right thing. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
Daily Office Asia-Pacific 