$95 billion will likely go overseas to allies of the United States after key action over the weekend in Washington D.C. The House of Representatives approved a large national security package including aid to Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine, plus a bill forcing the sale of the popular social media app TikTok to ensure separation from the Chinese government.
Texas Congressmen were in the middle of the debate.
A key person in the middle of the debate in Washington D.C. was Rep. Michael Burgess, R - Pilot Point, who just was appointed chair of the powerful rules committee. Appointed by Speaker Mike Johnson, he cobbled together the complicated plan to allow for individual votes on each item then sending them as a group to the senate. The Rules Committee sets out the legislative procedure for most votes on the House floor.
In a speech from the House floor, he said he understands the concerns about border security and its long-term budget implications from his Republican colleagues but wanted to move forward with the package.
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“As a member from Texas. As a member of the budget committee, I fully understand these concerns and I share all of them. But the requirement for America to assert itself as the leader of the free world is not optional.”
Burgess's staff also pointed NBC 5 to a statement on the action.
"President Biden's failed strategy of 'peace through weakness,' does not work, " said Rep. Burgess, " The United States must stand behind our allies as they face a dark new world."
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One of the main opponents of the bill was Rep. Chip Roy, R - Austin, who voted against the entire package because it didn't include any border security funding.
“I don’t think we should be throwing $95 billion dollars overseas when we have wide open borders and American people are being endangered," Rep. Roy told NBC News.
He led a group against the bill and voted against the proposal in the rules committee earlier.
Roy was outvoted by a majority of the members in the middle of the House. A group of progressives also voted against the package.
TikTok is arguably the most popular social media application in the country. If the bill becomes law, its parent company ByteDance may pull out of the U.S. market. The company has threatened lawsuits and describes the bill as a violation of the free speech rights of its millions of users and creators.
A group of Republicans are now aiming to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, R - Shreveport, with a motion to vacate on the House floor. That action calls for a full House vote to decide who will lead the lower chamber. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia., Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky., and Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, threatened a vote to remove Johnson.
Texans are also coming to Speaker Johnson's defense.
“When the motion to vacate is threatened every week in the Congress. That is being abused. I think we need to fix that," Rep. Michael McCaul, R - Austin, told ABC News.
"The world needs America to be strong and we weren't strong in that month," Rep. Burgess told NBC 5's Lone Star Politics about the threat from Rep. Taylor Greene, "People get headlines but I don't see any appetite for going through that entire scenario again."
Last year a similar process played out to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R- California, and Rep. Burgess called it one of the lowest points in his career in Congress.
There is more than $60 billion in aid going to Ukraine and $26 billion going to Israel. The most controversial aspect was the aid to Ukraine, which passed 311-112. Some lawmakers waved Ukrainian flags afterward and cheered. 101 Republicans and 210 Democrats voted for the bill. Ukraine is fighting a war with Russia and the country's President said without American support, Russian President Vladimir Putin's army will likely win.
The aid to Israel passed 366-58. That one had more Republicans supporting it as a block of Democrats on the left flank of the party voted against it. Israel is at war with the terrorist group Hamas, which attacked the country from its base in the Gaza Strip in October.
The House also approved $8 billion in aid to Taiwan as its powerful neighbor, China, is flexing more of its strength across the region.
The House voted on the four bills separately after a rule vote supported by 165 Democrats and 151 Republicans according to NBC News. The action is different than the foreign aid bill the Senate passed earlier, so the upper chamber will likely take this version up.
