After President Joe Biden threatened to veto the standalone bill if it reached his desk, the U.S. House of Representatives has rejected a Republican-led bill wanting to give $17.6 billion in military aid to Israel.
The legislation, which the White House has slammed and deemed as a “political ploy,” was introduced as a standalone bill while a broader measure was negotiated between a bipartisan group of senators and the White House, totaling $118 billion.
According to the New York Post, the broader Senate bill seeks to offer funds to Israel as well as “$60 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, $10 billion in humanitarian aid for Palestinian territories, and $20 billion in new funds for U.S border security languishes in the upper chamber.”
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While negotiations continued for the larger bill back by Biden, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) took to the floor with the $17.6 billion funding bill, which required lawmakers to offer a two-thirds vote to pass. Reportedly, the measure failed in a 250-180 vote, with 14 Republicans joining 166 Democrats to oppose the bill.
Rep. Johnson said the Senate bill was “dead on arrival” in the chamber even before it was introduced. Additionally, on Tuesday (February 6), Senate Republican leaders said they didn’t even think the measure would receive enough votes to pass.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee who is also urging opposition to the Israel-only bill, said, “This accomplishes nothing and delays aid getting out to our allies and providing humanitarian relief. Our allies are facing existential threats and our friends and foes around the globe are watching, waiting to see how America will respond.”
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Before the House rejected the Republican-led bill, Democratic President Joe Biden, who supports the larger Senate bill, promised to veto the House’s Israel-only measure.
On Monday (February 5), the Biden Administration said, “The Administration strongly encourages both chambers of the Congress to reject this political ploy and instead quickly send the bipartisan Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act to the President’s desk.”
The statement continued, “The Administration strongly opposes this ploy which does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Putin’s aggression, fails to support the security of American synagogues, mosques, and vulnerable places of worship, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children.”
Reacting, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “The president’s veto threat is an act of betrayal. In threatening to veto aid to Israel and to our military forces, President Biden is abandoning our ally in its time of greatest need.”
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