On Tuesday, the House voted down an expedited bill that would have provided aid to Israel. 14 Republican members opposed it as part of their opposition strategy.
This defeat derailed House Republicans’ attempt to pass a stand-in bill tailored to Israel’s Middle Eastern allies while simultaneously foiling Democratic attempts for broad national security funding. Furthermore, it foiled plans by President Obama’s White House to back bipartisan Senate deal including aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The Biden Administration Opposes the Bill
House Republicans on Tuesday rejected a standalone bill providing billions in aid to Israel, undercutting Speaker Mike Johnson’s attempt to use it as a wedge issue against Democrats, and deepened a Senate standoff over an expansive security package that also addresses changes to border policy as well as additional funds for Israel and Ukraine.
OMB issued a statement opposing the bill as another “cynical political stunt.” Democrats claimed it was politicized due to lack of budgetary offsets typically required when new spending plans are proposed by conservative lawmakers.
The bipartisan Senate package represents months of negotiation, and would reform U.S. immigration systems while providing additional funds for Ukraine in its battle against Russian aggression, and increasing military assistance to Israel. Unfortunately, however, the proposal has run into opposition in the GOP-controlled House due to ultraconservatives’ objection to its inclusion of money for Ukraine in this measure.
The House Needs to Pass a Bipartisan Bill
White House officials attacked a standalone Israel aid bill as an “opportunistic political ploy” and threatened a veto if it reached President Trump’s desk. This stunt hindered efforts to gain support for an overall Senate package which combined border security changes with billions in assistance for Israel, Ukraine, and other U.S. allies; additionally it complicated Johnson’s move by drawing votes away from conservative Republicans within his conference that made meeting two-thirds threshold impossible.
Though it remains to be determined how many Republican votes Democrats can rely on, Democratic aides remain hopeful they can push through a bipartisan Senate package and win it with bipartisan support. If successful, this would demonstrate that House members can work cooperatively with Republicans on major policy challenges without engaging in partisan stalemates that compromise public trust or national security – something unheard of over the past decade when partisanship was at its height. Now is an opportune moment to seize.
The Standalone Bill Was a Cynical Political Manuever
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to introduce a separate, standalone bill for Israel aid was quickly discredited by the White House as just another cynical political maneuver by GOP lawmakers. Johnson’s move directly contradicted negotiations between Senate negotiators and White House negotiators that could combine immigration policy reform, border security funding, Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan aid into one comprehensive bill.
Many Democrats and some Republican who support Israel opposed the standalone bill because it did not include a mechanism to pay for its billions in spending, while hard-right conservatives wanted the aid package tied to policies that limit immigration. If passed by Congress, President Biden threatened veto it; therefore both chambers of Congress have been advised by White House officials to oppose this cynical political ploy and instead support the bipartisan Senate bill currently being worked on instead.
The Standalone Bill Was a Failure
Speaker Johnson proposed a bill to avoid the bipartisan Senate bill, without spending offsets that Democrats disputed with previous legislation, nor Ukraine aid and tougher border security measures that prompted bipartisan agreement in the first place. His move met strong resistance on both sides of the aisle who prefer supporting foreign aid as part of a comprehensive package and conservative Republicans who objected to his refusal to offset it with changes elsewhere in the budget.
Johnson suffered a setback with his effort to undermine a $118 billion bipartisan Senate bill tying foreign aid with new border and migration policy changes. This vote could further complicate efforts within the chamber to rally support for this legislation, which already faces opposition from many GOP senators.
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