House Democrats take “unprecedented” step to save Mike Johnson’s foreign aid package

House Democrats made an extremely rare break with modern political norms on Thursday to rescue House Speaker Mike Johnson‘s (R-La.) foreign aid package.

Why it matters: It’s the starkest evidence to date that the GOP’s fractured and tiny House majority has effectively yielded to something resembling a bipartisan coalition.

What happened: The four Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted with five of the panel’s establishment Republicans to advance the package of four bills to votes on the House floor.

• The crossover was needed after three right-wing hardliners on the panel — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas) — voted against sending it to the floor.
• The right-wing rebellion was enough to kill the package if Democrats did not step in.

Zoom in: The Rules Committee typically consists of leadership loyalists who dutifully vote along party lines on advancing legislation to the floor.

• But former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) placed Massie, Norman and Roy on the panel last year to placate right-wing hardliners who rebelled against his bid for the gavel.
• That put power in the hands of Democrats, who overwhelmingly support the package and are desperate to send aid to Ukraine.

What we’re hearing: This kind of party crossover on the panel has not happened “in the time that I’ve been here,” said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who has served in Congress for more than a decade.

• Kildee, a member of Democratic leadership, said the move is “unprecedented.”

• “I think it’s highly unusual … I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that happen,” said Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.), a former member of the panel.

What’s next: The committee vote sets up a vote of the full House on Friday to pass what is known as the “rule,” a procedural mechanism setting the terms of debate on legislation.

• Democrats will need to bail out the rule once again, with the House Freedom Caucus taking the rare step of endorsing a “no” vote.
• That likely won’t be a big deal, however, now that Democrats have already rescued the rule once: “In for a penny, in for a pound,” said Kildee.