The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a Republican-led bill that would have provided $17.6 billion to Israel, but Democrats said instead it would also provide aid to Ukraine, international humanitarian funding and new funding for border security. He said he hopes to see a vote on the wide-ranging bill. .
The vote was 250-180, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage.
Opponents say the Israel bill would total $118 billion in Senate legislation, combining an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy with new funding for border security and billions of dollars in emergency aid for partners in Ukraine, Israel and India. They argued that it was a political ploy by Republicans to distract from opposition to the bill. -Pacific region.
The Israel stand-alone bill would provide $17.6 billion in military aid to the country and is strongly supported by a majority of lawmakers in both parties in response to the deadly Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Senate bill was “dead on arrival” on the floor even before it was introduced. And Senate Republican leaders said Tuesday they don’t believe the bill will get enough votes to pass.
“This accomplishes nothing and delays the delivery of aid and humanitarian relief to our allies,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, calling for the bill to target only Israel. appealed against. “Our allies are facing an existential crisis, and friends and foes around the world are waiting to see how the United States responds,” she said.
But after Biden threatened a veto, 167 Democrats voted against the bill, saying it would undermine a larger package that had been hammered out after months of negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators. I was angry at what it seemed to be aiming for and voted against it.
Thirteen Republicans also opposed the stand-alone bill because it did not include budget offsets that conservatives have pushed for with each new spending bill.
Supporters of the Israel-only bill insisted it was not a purely political stunt and said it was important to act quickly to support Israel.
One of Mr. Johnson’s first acts when he took office in the fall was to pass a bill in the House of Commons that would provide $14.3 billion to Israel.
But it included deep cuts to the Internal Revenue Service, which Biden opposed.
The ultra-conservative House of Commons Freedom Caucus accused Johnson of “capitulating” to even greater policy pressures that were not offset by cuts.
The Biden administration’s Office of Management and Budget said the Republican “gambit” was to secure U.S. borders and defend against Russian aggression while denying humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire of the Israel-Gaza conflict. He said it would undermine efforts to support Ukraine.
But Johnson hit back at a press conference on Tuesday, saying it was “outrageous and disgraceful” for Biden to suggest a veto on aid to Israel “at a time of greatest need.”
House Democratic leaders called the bill a “completely obvious and cynical attempt to undermine a sweeping policy that ties funding to Israel to $60 billion in aid to Ukraine and $20 billion in U.S. border security.” However, it has stalled in Congress.
“Unfortunately, the standalone bill that House Republicans introduced at the eleventh hour last weekend without notice or consultation was not proposed in good faith,” House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote to colleagues. This was stated in a letter.
