House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) plans to bring a new Israel aid bill to the floor without any spending cuts or offsets.
The plans, announced in a letter to colleagues on Saturday, are a reversal from Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s previous position. Last year, early in Johnson’s tenure as prime minister, the House of Representatives passed a $14.3 trillion bill to aid Israel in its war against Hamas.
The bill, paid for by an equivalent cut in funding to the IRS, has not been introduced in the Senate.
But the Senate appears ready to consider a far-reaching aid package this year, including a still-secret border deal that includes tens of millions of dollars in aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
By moving aid to Israel separately in the way the Senate has requested, Mr. Johnson will be able to decide which proposals will be approved before the Senate passes a broader bill that includes support for Ukraine’s war against Russia, which is even less popular within Johnson’s conference. He can act based on whether he can get broad support from Republicans.
The prospects for passage of the border and foreign aid bill in the Senate are uncertain. However, Prime Minister Johnson’s letter once again makes clear his opposition to the bill.
A detailed draft of the immigration section of the bill has been attacked as abandoning border controls and providing a pathway for more immigration.
Until this bargaining agreement meets its fate, the Senate is unlikely to consider a new House Israel aid bill. But Johnson’s actions seem to suggest that, regardless of what happens with the border and foreign aid bill, the prospects for some form of additional Israeli aid to eventually be passed are promising.
Bradley Jay is Breitbart News’ Capitol Hill correspondent. Follow him on X/Twitter. @BradleyAJay.
