The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a standalone bill that would provide $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel, an effort that the White House criticized as a “political strategy” that would have been vetoed by President Biden if it had reached his vote. desk.
The legislation was introduced while a broader measure was being negotiated between a bipartisan group of senators and the White House that tied aid to the Jewish state with $60 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $10 billion in humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territories and $20 billion in new funding for American border security languishes in the upper house.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) brought the Israel clean financing bill to the floor through a procedure that requires a two-thirds vote of lawmakers for approval.
The measure failed in a 250-180 vote, with 14 Republicans joining 166 Democrats in opposing the bill.
House Democratic leaders voiced their opposition to the proposal in a “Dear Colleague” letter before Tuesday’s vote, calling the standalone bill a “blatantly obvious and cynical attempt by MAGA extremists to undermine the possibility of a comprehensive bipartisan funding package.”
The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a bill that would provide $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel. AP
“We are prepared to support any serious bipartisan effort regarding the special relationship between the United States and Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-NY). -Mass.) and Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) wrote. “Unfortunately, the stand-alone legislation introduced by House Republicans over the weekend, at the last minute without notice or consultation, is not offered in good faith.”
“Here at home, the time has come for House Republicans to end the political tricks and come together to support a comprehensive approach to our national security priorities,” they added.
Their opposition came after the White House Office of Management and Budget on Monday issued an administrative policy statement rejecting Johnson’s effort.
President Biden said he would veto the bill if it reached his desk. C-SPAN
“Rather than working in good faith to address the most pressing national security challenges, this bill is another cynical political maneuver,” the statement said.
“The Administration strongly opposes this ploy that does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Putin’s aggression, and does nothing to support the security of vulnerable American synagogues, mosques and places of worship. and denies humanitarian assistance. to Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children,” he continued.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus also opposed the bill for its lack of offsetting spending cuts, which were included in legislation passed by the House last November that would have provided Israel with $14.3 billion for its war against Hamas and would have cut the Internal Revenue Service funding allocated in Biden’s plan. -called the Inflation Reduction Law. That measure failed to pass in the Senate.
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“It is extremely disappointing that the president is now bowing to perceived pressure to approve an even larger, but now unpaid, aid package for Israel, reversing course on his stance and demanding that new supplemental spending be offset,” the House Freedom said. Caucus at a conference. statement Sunday.
“Conservatives should not be forced to choose between borrowing money to support our special friend Israel or honoring our commitment to end unpaid supplemental spending that exacerbates our nation’s unsustainable fiscal crisis and further jeopardizes our ability to respond to future crises”.
Forty-six Democrats and 204 Republicans voted in favor of the failed bill, which needed more than 280 yes votes to pass.
The bill would provide $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel. AFP via Getty Images House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) brought the Israel clean financing bill to the floor. AP
The bipartisan Senate bill addressing aid to Israel and Ukraine and border security appears certain to suffer the same fate as Johnson’s standalone measure.
“It seems to me, and to most of our members, that we have no real chance of making a law here,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump derided the bill as “a huge gift to Democrats,” and House Republican leaders also indicated it is “DEAD on arrival” in the House.
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