GOP Infighting Deepens Over Foreign Aid and Speakership Battles
Internal divisions within the Republican Party have intensified in recent months, exacerbated by disagreements over foreign aid and Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership.
Despite the passage of a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, a significant number of Republicans vehemently opposed the Ukraine aid. Rep. Tony Gonzales condemned colleagues who voted against the aid bills as “scumbags.”
A separate clash erupted over a motion to remove Johnson as Speaker. Rep. Derrick Van Orden and Rep. Matt Gaetz engaged in a verbal altercation on the House floor, hurling insults at each other.
Political experts have emphasized that the division within the GOP is worsening. Professor Todd Landman attributes the discord to the period during which former Speaker Paul Ryan resigned in 2015. He points to the Freedom Caucus’s opposition to McCarthy’s speakership bid and the subsequent selection of Johnson, who now faces another ouster attempt led by Marjorie Taylor Greene.
The passage of the aid package and Johnson’s recent visit to Mar-a-Lago have further strained tensions. Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s veiled attack on Gaetz at Georgetown University also signals growing discord within the party.
According to Associate Professor Thomas Whalen, Johnson is “presiding over the rubble” of the GOP. He believes that the party’s divisions will continue to hinder its progress and benefit the Democrats in the upcoming November elections.
