House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) called for a vote on the $17.6 billion bill, pitching it as a Republican counter-proposal to a more expansive Senate bill that also includes funding for Ukraine, Taiwan and U.S. border security. . Prime Minister Johnson earlier declared that the Senate bill would be “dead on arrival” if it reached the House of Commons, and many Republicans have called it illegal after former President Donald Trump urged them to oppose the bill. They argue that it is not enough to combat immigration.
Tuesday's vote, minutes after House Republicans also failed in their efforts to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, broke Johnson's losing streak and increased funding for President Biden's national security priorities. The path has become unclear. The Senate bill, which faces a key vote on Wednesday, is also expected to fail in its current form.
The standalone House bill includes only funding for Israel and the U.S. military in the Middle East, and Johnson said earlier Tuesday that priorities must be “separated” from other national security initiatives.
Support for Israel remains a priority for the Biden administration and for many Parliamentarians from both countries The party comes as the war in Gaza continues and U.S. forces in the region face increasing attacks from Iranian proxies.
However, the Republican bill proposed by Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) was condemned by many Democrats, including ardent supporters of the Jewish state, calling it a “political stunt that has little to do with Israeli rights.” ” was criticized. It's all about self-defense and the chaos that has engulfed the Republican Party. ”
Biden had previously said he intended to veto it.
“We must reject this disingenuous effort,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said on the House floor before the vote. “The majority chose to consider a bill they knew the president would veto. …This would accomplish nothing and would delay getting aid to allies and providing humanitarian relief.” Masu.”
Tuesday's vote comes days after Senate leaders announced a $118 billion bill that: It includes funding for all of the administration's national security priorities and the Republican wish list of immigration reform. This is the culmination of months of bipartisan negotiations between the senator's team and the White House, which began after Republicans said they would only support additional Ukraine aid. If Democrats agree to dramatic new immigration restrictions.
However, support for the Senate bill declined rapidly. Especially. Mr. Trump, who is likely to be Mr. Biden's opponent in this year's presidential election, mischaracterized the bill's outline and urged other Republicans not to support it even before the bill's text was announced last weekend. encouraged.
Calvert, the House bill's sponsor, said his proposal is a “clean bill” without the less popular national security provisions. “The claim that this bill is playing politics is clearly false,” he said on the House floor just before the vote. “Today we have an opportunity to come together and send a strong message that the United States stands with Israel.” “The only people who make it political are the people who oppose it.”
In a press conference earlier in the day, Johnson suggested that once Israel was “addressed”, MPs would “address” other issues. “We have to deal with these measures independently and individually. I think they are worth it,” he told reporters.
The negotiated Senate proposal does not include “true border security reform,” he said, “which is why it's not a start.” They did not meet the requirements and needs of the country. ”
As the death toll in the Gaza Strip exceeds 27,000 – mostly women and children, according to local health authorities – and Israel blocks Palestinians' access to food, water and medicine, progressive Despite growing anxiety among Democratic voters, support for Israel remains strong on Capitol Hill. .
The bill, which targets only Israel, is the second Republican attempt in three months to split aid from Biden's aid to the United States' closest Middle East ally. Larger request for additional funding.
Some of Israel's most vocal Democratic supporters, including Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), voted in favor of the bill despite supporting larger national security policies. He indicated his intention to invest. Because, as Moskowitz explained in an interview, Congress has proven it. It's too “chaotic” and “unpredictable” to rely on it passing through much else. “I think there's a plausible scenario that if this dies, it's all over,” he said earlier in the day, referring to funds being sought for aid to Ukraine and border security.
Ahead of the vote, dozens of lawmakers, including Democratic leaders and members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, announced their intention to reject the bill.
“We stand ready to support any serious bipartisan effort related to the special relationship between the United States and Israel,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Democratic Party Leader Katherine Clark of Massachusetts. ), Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (Calif.) said, “We stand ready to support any serious bipartisan effort related to the special relationship between the United States and Israel.'' ) wrote in a “Dear Colleague'' memo on Tuesday ahead of the vote.
But the standalone bill “was not filed in good faith,” they said. “Rather, this is an attack on MAGA extremists seeking to undermine the possibility of a comprehensive bipartisan funding package that addresses U.S. national security challenges in the Middle East, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world.” A blatantly obvious and cynical attempt by
It is unclear how lawmakers will proceed.
National security experts and Ukraine advocates on Capitol Hill have said for months that new military aid to Kiev is perhaps the most important priority included in the emergency spending package that Biden proposed months ago. I've warned you. It's also the country most at risk, as more Republicans cite voters skeptical of a waning appetite to help the beleaguered former Soviet republic. . Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Tuesday night that passing Israel aid alone would “increase pressure from House Republicans to move forward with a vote on funding.” It will weaken,” he said. For Ukraine. ”
Lawmakers from both parties have long complained about U.S. policy. The Senate-brokered agreement represents one of the most important bipartisan reform efforts in decades.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that given Prime Minister Johnson's opposition, the Republican conference “has a real chance here” to pass a larger national security bill with border agreement negotiations. He concluded that “there is no such thing.”
In a surprising U-turn, McConnell and several other Senate Republicans had said weeks ago that they would not approve aid to Ukraine or other national security funding without a border deal, but instead would approve aid for Ukraine or other national security funding. He hinted that he may move forward with legislation to support Ukraine and Taiwan. However, border regulations are now excluded. Several other Republicans, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Todd Young (Indiana), also expressed support for the idea.
McConnell said it would be up to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York to decide how to “repackage” the Senate bill after a scheduled Wednesday vote likely failed. He said that.
Mr. Schumer did not directly rule out the proposal, but said Democrats were angry and frustrated by the shift toward a deal that Republicans had clearly requested. Prime Minister Boris Johnson also initially opposed the idea of moving forward with funding to Ukraine without major reforms to border policy.
“They don't have the backbone, the guts, the backbone to resist Trump's ridicule, even when they know he's wrong,” Schumer said at a news conference Tuesday.
correction
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the total amount of the Senate proposal to fund various national security initiatives. That's $118 billion. The article has been corrected.
