Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) criticized the Biden administration’s decision to put millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness outside the reach of oil drilling and critical mineral mining, likening the moves to “national security suicide.”

“Well, it’s lawless. He doesn’t have the authority to do it. … It’s, as I say, national security suicide,” Sullivan said Sunday during an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Alaska has long been at odds with the federal government over the use and protection of its enormous natural resources, particularly when a Democrat is in the White House.

The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Friday officially recommended against building the Ambler Road — a proposed 211 mile-long roadway that would have expanded mining operations into an undeveloped part of the state — a recommendation that effectively kills the project and puts zinc and copper deposits out of reach.

Interior also issued a final rule that will remove the entire U.S. Arctic Ocean, 11 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and nearly 3 million acres of federal waters off the Alaska coast from consideration for new oil and gas leasing.

The decision by the Interior Department reaped praise from environmental and conservation groups, as well as some some native tribes — but not all, Sullivan said Sunday.

“When this president on Friday with [Interior] Secretary [Deb] Haaland announced that they did this because the Alaska Native, the indigenous people on the North Slope of Alaska, asked them to, they wanted them to, the leaders of the North Slope of Alaska were unanimous in opposition to this,” Sullivan said.

But other local tribes lauded the Biden administration’s decision and said the Trump administration did not consult with them before approving the project.

The tens of billions of dollars in long-stalled Ukraine aid approved by the House on Saturday will give his country “a chance at victory,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.

“I think this support will really strengthen the armed forces of Ukraine, and we will have a chance for victory,” Zelenskyy said through a translator during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Despite significant opposition from some conservatives, the House voted 311-112 on Saturday to approve a bill that would send $60.8 billion to Ukraine. More than $23 billion of which would be used to replenish weapons and stocks provided by the U.S; $13.8 billion that would cover costs for advanced weapons systems. The bill heads to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer teed it up for a Tuesday vote.

Zelenskyy’s comments come after he warned last week that no more aid from the U.S. would mean a Russian victory in the war that recently entered its third year.

“I can tell you, frankly, without this support, we will have no chance of winning,” Zelenskyy said during an interview on PBS NewsHour last week.

In celebrating the funding Sunday, Zelenskyy also emphasized Ukraine’s need for the aid to “end up in tangible weapon systems,” including long-range missiles and air defense.

“We need long-range weapons to not lose people on the frontlines,” Zelenskyy said. Ukraine, Zelenskyy acknowledged, has suffered losses “in several directions” in recent months, particularly in the eastern part of the country.

“And that’s why we need to actually have the weapon systems. When we get it, when we have it in our arms, then we do have the chance to take this initiative and to move ahead and to protect Ukraine,” he added.

RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza city of Rafah overnight killed 18 people, including 14 children, health officials said Sunday, as the United States was on track to approve billions of dollars of additional military aid to its close ally.

Israel has carried out near-daily air raids on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has sought refuge from fighting elsewhere. It has also vowed to expand its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt despite international calls for restraint, including from the U.S.

The House of Representatives approved a $26 billion aid package on Saturday that includes around $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Gaza.

The first strike killed a man, his wife and their 3-year-old child, according to the nearby Kuwaiti Hospital, which received the bodies. The woman was pregnant and the doctors managed to save the baby, the hospital said.

The second strike killed 13 children and two women, all from the same family, according to hospital records. An airstrike in Rafah the night before killed nine people, including six children.

The Israel-Hamas war has killed over 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, devastated Gaza’s two largest cities and left a swath of destruction across the territory. Around 80% of the population have fled their homes to other parts of the besieged coastal enclave, which experts say is on the brink of famine.

The conflict, now in its seventh month, has sparked regional unrest pitting Israel and the U.S. against Iran and allied militant groups across the Middle East. Israel and Iran traded fire directly earlier this month, raising fears of all-out war between the longtime foes.

Tensions have also spiked in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli troops killed two Palestinians who the military says attacked a checkpoint with a knife and a gun near the southern West Bank town of Hebron early Sunday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the two killed were 18 and 19 years old, from the same family. No Israeli forces were wounded, the army said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service meanwhile said it has recovered a total of 14 bodies from an Israeli raid in the Nur Shams urban refugee camp in the West Bank that began late Thursday. Those killed include three militants from the Islamic Jihad group and a 15-year-old boy. The military says it killed 10 militants in the camp and arrested eight suspects. Nine Israeli soldiers and officers were wounded.

In a separate incident in the West Bank, an Israeli man was wounded in an explosion Sunday, the Magen David Adom rescue service said. A video circulating online shows a man approaching a Palestinian flag that had been planted in a field. When he kicks it, it appears to trigger an explosive device.

At least 469 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Most have been killed during Israeli military arrest raids, which often trigger gunbattles, or in violent protests.

The war in Gaza was sparked by an unprecedented Oct. 7 raid into southern Israel in which Hamas and other militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 hostages. Israel says militants are still holding around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.

Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to call for new elections to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a deal with Hamas to release the hostages. Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and all the hostages are returned.

The war has killed at least 34,049 Palestinians and wounded another 76,901, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says at least two-thirds have been children and women. It also says the real toll is likely higher as many bodies are stuck beneath the rubble left by airstrikes or are in areas that are unreachable for medics.

Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties because the militants fight in dense, residential neighborhoods, but the military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children. The military says it has killed over 13,000 Hamas fighters, without providing evidence.

Speaker Mike Johnson ultimately succeeded in passing foreign aid Saturday, after months of fierce infighting over sending additional funds to Ukraine.

Whether he can survive a looming effort to boot him from the speakership still remains to be seen.

Johnson had plowed ahead with the votes to send money to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan despite rising conservative anger — passing every part of the foreign aid plan with widespread Democratic help. Some Republicans are openly entertaining the idea of backing the ouster threat led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), but those already backing the effort opted to wait on triggering the vote. Instead, they indicated members should go back home and hear from their constituents.

That could go two ways for Johnson. Tempers could cool as lawmakers return to their districts for a week and focus on their constituents and reelection bids. Or members, particularly in deep-red districts, hear more from an angry base — prompting more members to entertain action against Johnson.

Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, the second Republican to back ousting Johnson, are betting it’s the latter. And they reiterated their promises on Saturday that Johnson will ultimately face a choice: resign or face a referendum.

“The pressure is already building,” Massie said after the slew of votes Saturday. “It’s going to be inevitable, especially now that he’s chosen his path with the Democrats. Like once you go there, it’s hard to go back.”

Despite the intense fury among conservatives, some say they still won’t support the so-called motion to vacate. But if Johnson gets booted and goes for the gavel again, or tries to run to lead the GOP again next term, they said they wouldn’t support his bid.

“I’m so furious,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who took particular issue with House Democrats waving Ukrainian flags on the floor as that aid bill passed. “This whole bill package is an absolute sham and disgusting, and I blame Speaker Mike Johnson for that bill even being on the floor.”

“I will never support Speaker Mike Johnson as speaker again. That’s for certain,” she added.

The vote on Ukraine became so contentious that some Republicans, also taking umbrage with the Ukraine flags on the House floor, started to boo them. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) ran up to a microphone to tell her colleagues across the aisle: “Put those damn flags away.”

In a further sign of rising tensions, lawmakers lingered in the chamber after votes on the foreign aid package closed — anxious to see if Greene or Massie would move to trigger an attempt to oust Johnson or force other protest votes. Members of the House Freedom Caucus also huddled in the center of the chamber following the vote, but ultimately did not call for additional votes.

Johnson, meanwhile, defended his strategy on the foreign funding package after the votes, once again brushing off the threat from members of his right flank to try to strip him of his gavel.

“I don’t walk around this building being worried about motion to vacate. I have to do my job. We did. I’ve done here what I’ve believed to be the right thing,” Johnson said. “You do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may.”

And other GOP colleagues praised Johnson’s bravery, indicating they hope Democrats will show him some goodwill — meaning, help protect his speakership — for ignoring his conservative critics and passing foreign aid.

“I’m so proud of Mike Johnson for being brave and for allowing us to vote on some really important issues today. So I would hope that the Democrats will continue to do the right thing,” said centrist Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.). “We’ve seen him come a long way.”

“To me, it is a true profile in courage to put the interests of the nation above his own — himself and his career,” said Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas), whose bill was among those that passed Saturday. “It was a gutsy call, but he knew it was the right thing. My stock in him went way up.”

Still, Johnson is in a precarious position. If Greene triggers a vote, he will need Democrats to protect him. And even if they do, the GOP rebels could try to oust him multiple times, forcing the minority party to decide if they would continue to save him.

House Democrats didn’t discuss the motion to vacate during their caucus meeting before the vote Saturday, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has indicated they’d meet as a party to discuss a course of action if it comes up. But many Democrats are likely to back Johnson against the ouster threat now that the foreign aid package has sailed through the House.

“I think [Greene] is a paper tiger,” quipped Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.).

“We did the right thing today and we did it together,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). “That’s a good sign for going forward if we continue to do that. We can’t allow a small, willful, nihilistic group to impede the ability of the House of Representatives to do business.”

Other House Republicans, meanwhile, said they aren’t holding their breath on Democratic assistance. They feel they’ve seen this film before with former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“I’ve kind of given up on those guys … seems like they’re willing to help the country as long as it doesn’t help the Republicans,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.).

But Johnson will have to rely on at least some Democratic votes, especially with the imminent departure of Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who was slated to resign from Congress on Friday but opted to stay a day later to vote on the foreign aid bills. With Gallagher gone, Johnson can only afford to lose one of his own members on an ouster vote before needing help across the aisle.

Several Republicans haven’t yet said how they would handle such a vote, meaning that the conservative band of rebels could grow before Greene brings up her resolution.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who flirted with trying to oust Johnson earlier this year, declined to say how he would handle an ejection attempt, but didn’t pull punches on Johnson’s handling of the foreign aid package.

“The votes today were a disaster,” he said. “There are a lot of people around the country who are very frustrated with what transpired this week.”

Nicholas Wu and Anthony Adragna contributed to this report.