Johnson’s natural gas-for-Ukraine gamble might not pay off

April 01, 2024

GAS GAMBLE, PT. 2: WHAT DEMS ARE THINKING

As explained earlier, Johnson’s likely going to need widespread Democratic backing to pass a foreign aid package rather than anything approaching unanimity from his own conference. Bringing in the energy provisions risks that support.

But so far, Democratic leaders aren’t killing the idea.

For those just tuning in: Only nine House Democrats supported a bill in February that would have overridden Biden and unpaused liquefied natural gas exports. Even if Johnson goes narrower on language in the foreign aid package, he’ll definitely lose climate hawks who would ordinarily be staunch supporters of Ukraine.

Think folks like Reps. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), who’ve made addressing climate change a focus of their tenures in Washington. Huffman called the potential inclusion of LNG provisions “absurd” in an interview with POLITICO on Monday.

“The only thing it really shows is that Mike Johnson cares a lot more about LNG than he does Ukraine,” the California Democrat said, adding of Johnson: “He’s been flailing for some time now. … It’s certainly not something that takes us closer to a solution.”

That’s how Casten sees the situation as well. Though members from both parties wondered Monday if Johnson’s idea was fully baked or if he was just testing the waters.

“Why would you even put this in there? You’re not doing it to gain Democrats. Maybe you’re doing it because you’re afraid of Marjorie Taylor Greene and, if that’s the case, get the hell out of the leadership role,” Casten said in a Monday interview.

“Is this something he’s thinking about, or is this actually something he’s working on text with?” Casten added. “Nobody really knows with him.”

A critical question: How many Democrats feel strongly enough about LNG to deny a possibly quicker avenue for Ukraine funding? A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Johnson’s general proposal.

Across the Capitol: Senate Democrats (and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell) are mostly on the same page: The Senate bill is the fastest way to get the money to Kiev, rather than more negotiations.

Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) seemed open to negotiating with the House. When asked on Monday about the possibility of turning the aid into some sort of loan, she replied: “Whatever form it takes to get the aid to Ukraine, that’s the form that we’ve got to go with.”

Still, she warned that trying to negotiate expanding LNG exports would only lead to “another delay” in the monthslong saga.


By:  Jordain Carney and Anthony Adragna
Source: Politico