House seeks to penalize Iran, but plans for Israel aid remain uncertain

House GOP leaders have retooled their floor schedule to punish Iran for its missile attack on Israel over the weekend, but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has yet to signal how he will move foreign aid for the Jewish state that he vowed to pass this week.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) unveiled an updated schedule for the week ahead late Sunday night, scrapping plans to focus on the Biden administration’s energy efficiency standards for appliances.

The new calendar includes a slew of legislative items related to Iran after Israel and its Western partners intercepted hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones. The strike marked the first-ever direct attack on Israel from Iran, escalating tensions in the Middle East as Israel wages a war on the Hamas militant group that began in October.

Of the 17 bills related to Iran and Israel, 11 of them are expected to be brought to the floor under suspension of the rules, meaning they’ll require a two-thirds majority to pass the lower chamber. The other six will go through the House Rules Committee, allowing for debate among lawmakers before being considered on the floor. Those will only require a simple majority to pass.

Some of the measures deal with sanctions, while others denounce Iran or reiterate support for Israel. Johnson has yet to unveil the bill for aid to Israel, though the major question is whether he will pair it with tens of billions for Ukraine as the White House has demanded.

“The House Republicans and the Republican Party understand the necessity of standing with Israel,” Johnson told Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures. “We’re going to try again this week, and the details of that package are being put together. Right now, we’re looking at the options and all these supplemental issues.”

One of the bills under consideration this week is the “Solidify Iran Sanctions Act,” which would make permanent sanctions established in the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 that are set to expire in 2026. The bill would cement the president’s ability to impose sanctions in the event of certain transactions related to Iran’s energy sector or the country’s efforts to develop certain weapons.

Other pieces of legislation include a bill that would expand sanctions against Iran to also cover transactions between Chinese financial institutions and Iranian banks that have already been sanctioned over purchases of petroleum or petroleum products. Another bill, the No U.S. Financing for Iran Act, would block the treasury secretary from authorizing financial institutions to engage in trade with Iran unless it is for “food, medicine, or medical devices benefitting Iranian civilians.”

The schedule also includes a vote on a resolution from Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) that denounces the phrase ‘‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” That slogan is often used to call for Palestinian liberation, referring to the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River that includes Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The resolution would deem the phrase as antisemitic and condemn its usage. The legislation comes in response to Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MN) use of the phrase, prompting pushback from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who point to the slogan’s adoption by the Hamas terrorist group to advocate the destruction of Israel.

Tlaib was later censured in November, in part because of those comments. Twenty-two Democrats joined all Republicans in supporting that measure.

The Israel-focused week comes amid pressure on Johnson to advance a $95 billion defense bill that passed the Senate in February. The measure includes $14 billion for Israel, but its Ukraine funding has become controversial among Republicans who want to see an end to the conflict with Russia.

Also hanging over Johnson’s head is a threat to remove him from his top leadership position after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) filed a motion to vacate the speaker late last month. Greene has not indicated what would be the determining factor to trigger a vote on his ouster, but the Georgia Republican has made clear any effort to provide aid to Ukraine could be fatal for Johnson.

House Republicans are set to meet in a closed-door meeting on Monday evening before holding their first votes of the week in order to discuss “Iran’s recent attack on Israel and defense supplemental spending,” according to a notice sent out to lawmakers over the weekend.

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Iran’s attack is notable because it originated from within the country’s borders. Iran has spent decades training and supporting various militias throughout the Middle East that it uses to attack Israel so Iran itself doesn’t have to do so.

Iran’s attack signals Israel could soon be engaged in a regional conflict. However, the United States has desperately sought since October to prevent a broader war, with President Joe Biden initially urging Tehran not to carry out the attack on Friday.