The House of Representatives, led by Republicans in the US Congress, has approved $14.3 billion in funding for Israel’s war with Hamas. The Senate intends to create its own legislation, which will include aid for both Ukraine and Gaza, The New York Times reported.
The divided House passed a Republican-written bill linking $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel’s conflict with Hamas to domestic spending cuts, despite a veto threat from President Biden and bipartisan opposition in the Senate. The legislation, proposed by Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, faced criticism from Democrats for cutting a tax enforcement initiative important to President Biden’s agenda. Only a dozen Democrats voted in favor, according to NYT.
The bill is expected to encounter bipartisan opposition in the Senate, as lawmakers there prefer a comprehensive approach that includes aid for Israel, assistance for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion, and addressing other global crises, consistent with President Biden’s $105 billion package request. The White House has indicated that the House bill, focused solely on Israel and including “partisan poison pill offsets,” would face a veto from the President.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader from New York, declared before the House vote on 2 November that the Senate would not consider the House-passed proposal. Instead, the Senate aims to create a bipartisan bill containing aid for both Israel and Ukraine, along with humanitarian assistance for Gaza. This could lead to a potential legislative standoff between the two chambers, potentially prolonging the aid process for weeks.
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