A policy aimed at giving $17.6 billion to Israel failed to pass the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
It was under threat of a veto from the White House, which wants Congress to consider aid to Israel as part of a massive $118 billion security package, and Republicans who want to offset the cost with other spending cuts. There was also opposition from hard-liners.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) announced the bill over the weekend, accusing the Senate and White House of excluding the House from discussions on additional security funding and border policy legislation.
The House Republican bill was fast-tracked for a vote Tuesday under a suspension of House rules. That means raising the threshold for passage to two-thirds of the chamber rather than a simple majority, and bypassing a procedural hurdle known as a rules vote. .
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House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a standalone bill over the weekend that would provide $17.6 in aid to Israel. (Getty)
Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) criticized lawmakers on both sides for not supporting the bill after the failed vote.
Steele told Fox News Digital: “It is unfortunate and unacceptable that so many member states have failed to stand with Israel in protecting its people from terrorists who seek to wipe them off the map.” “We must have absolute moral clarity and determination…Those who choose silence will go down in history.”
Leaders of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus opposed the bill Sunday, citing a lack of offsets.
One of Johnson’s first acts as speaker was to introduce a $14.3 billion Israel aid bill in the House of Representatives, which would be offset by money Biden had earmarked for the Internal Revenue Service. was. The move was dismissed as a “poison pill” and a failure by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
“Well, no fees will be paid and our borders will be wide open. I’m not going to go and say $17 billion. You can’t do that,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told Fox News Digital.
But conservative Rep. Greg Murphy, RN.C., who is not part of the Freedom Caucus, argues that the kind of offsets demanded by hardliners would do little to address the national debt problem. He said that the national debt would be resolved as follows:[cutting] level of interest, [growing] economy, and [reforming] Mandatory expenditure. ”
Johnson slams Biden’s threat to veto $17 billion Israel aid bill as ‘betrayal’
Congressman Chip Roy told Fox News Digital that he opposes the Clean Israel Act. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“A lot of people begged us to put a fee on it, or we would vote against it,” Murphy said of the House Republican conference Tuesday morning. “I understand that. I absolutely understand that. But in this instance, it’s just dust… We’re not going to reduce our debt.”
“People aren’t looking at the big picture…To really understand that, you have to understand the larger geopolitical picture.”
Meanwhile, the White House and Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives provided ample cover for rank-and-file members to vote down the bill.
The Biden administration slammed the bill as a “cynical political ploy” made in response to bipartisan Senate negotiations on security funding and border policy.
President Biden has threatened to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. (Chris Kleponis/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D.Y.) and his fellow Democratic leaders announced Tuesday afternoon that they would vote against the bill, saying, “We recognize the special relationship between our two countries. We stand ready to support any serious bipartisan effort related to this.” “The United States and Israel are our closest allies in the Middle East. Unfortunately, the standalone bill that House Republicans introduced at the eleventh hour last weekend without notice or consultation was not introduced in good faith.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated to reporters that he intends to bring the bill back to the vote through the normal order process, which includes a rules vote and debate.
