The White House on Tuesday criticized a standalone Israel funding bill proposed by House Republicans as “bad for Israel” and US national security, stating that President Biden would veto the legislation.
“This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a scathing administrative policy statement on the so-called Israel Supplemental Security Appropriations Act. 2024.
The $14.3 billion bill would decouple aid to Israel from the 80-year-old president’s broader request for emergency funding, which includes billions for Ukraine.
The spending measure would also eliminate humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians from Biden’s $106 billion request and would be paid for in part by cuts to Internal Revenue Service funds allocated under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. of the president.
“Rather than proposing a package that strengthens American national security in a bipartisan manner, the bill fails to meet the urgency of the moment by deepening our divisions and seriously eroding historic bipartisan support for Israel’s security,” the memo states. OMB. “It inserts partisanship into support for Israel, turning our ally into a pawn in our politics, at a time when we must stand together.”
Joe Biden is expected to veto the Israel aid package created by House Republicans after the White House called it “bad for Israel.” Shutterstock Smoke rises from inside northern Gaza on October 31 following a reported attack by Israeli forces following the surprise attack by Hamas terrorists on October 7. Getty Images
The budget office maintains that Biden’s $9 billion request for humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza is a “moral imperative” and denying it would be a “serious mistake.”
“Humanitarian aid is critically needed to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Gaza, but it is also crucial support for innocent Ukrainians facing the brutality of Putin’s war,” the statement said, arguing that “conflict and extremism will be much more likely to spread.” without humanitarian aid, which “will only benefit Hamas and other evil actors.”
The OMB also criticized proposed IRS cuts that House Republicans hope to tie to funding for the Jewish state’s Iron Dome missile defense system and military equipment for the Israel Defense Forces.
Palestinians inspect damage to buildings in the Jabaliya refugee camp destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Tuesday, October 31. AP
“The egregious thing about this particular offset is that it increases the deficit and would help some wealthy individuals and large corporations cheat on their taxes,” the memo states.
Biden’s sweeping $106 billion proposal, unveiled earlier this month, seeks $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel, $14 billion for immigration enforcement and $16.55 billion for other concerns, including more aid for Taiwan.
Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has publicly called for the Ukraine and Israel components to be “bifurcated” as he grapples with a Republican Party conference skeptical of greater support for Kiev.
Johnson maintains that aid to Ukraine needs stronger oversight before it can be approved by Congress.
Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has publicly called for the Ukraine and Israel components to be “bifurcated” as he grapples with a Republican Party conference skeptical of greater support for Kiev. AP
The OMB added that the Biden administration “will continue to engage with both houses of Congress in a bipartisan manner to secure agreement on the critical national security package transmitted to Congress a few weeks ago.”
“If this bill were presented to the president, he would veto it,” the memo concludes.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn