House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) slammed President Biden on Monday night after the White House threatened to veto the House Republicans’ standalone Israel aid bill.
“The President’s threat to veto the bill is an act of betrayal,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Israel is at war, fighting for its very right to exist, while the president’s orders to deter Iran are putting our brave men and women in uniform at risk. President Biden has threatened to veto and abandon aid to Israel and our military.” “I urge our friends in Israel and our opponents in Iran to ignore the president’s bluff and deny this clean aid package. I urge you to pass the package.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (right) accused President Biden of threatening to veto the Israel bill. (Getty Images)
Conservative backlash over Israel aid bill could force Johnson to seek support from Democrats again
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Johnson announced his intention to pass legislation that would send $17.6 billion to Israel as it fights war against Hamas. It is expected to be voted on later Tuesday, expedited 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. .
The White House slammed the bill as a “cynical political ploy” made in response to bipartisan Senate negotiations on security funding and border policy.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference. (Abil Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
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“The administration is committed to reaching a national security agreement that secures borders and provides assistance to the peoples of Ukraine and Israel, while providing much-needed humanitarian assistance to conflict-affected civilians around the world.” “We spent several months working with a bipartisan group of senators,” the Office of Management and Budget statement said.
“Instead of addressing our national security’s most pressing challenges in good faith, this bill is yet another cynical political ploy. Israel’s security should be sacrosanct, not a political game. We strongly oppose this strategy, which does nothing to ensure the security of our borders.” It does nothing to help Ukrainians protect themselves. [Russian President Vladimir Putin’s] It is an act of aggression, failing to help secure American synagogues, mosques, and vulnerable places of worship, and denying humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children. ”
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.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer is pushing a border policy and additional aid bill. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
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The bill passed the House with support from some Democrats, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York criticized it as a non-starter.
“During debate on the House floor and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made it clear that their primary objections to the original House bill were: with offset“The Senate now has no excuses, no matter how misguided, for swiftly passing this important support for our allies,” Johnson wrote on Saturday.
