The Democrats thought it was a brilliant idea to package aid for Ukraine and Israel together and shoehorn it into the Biden border cover protection bill under the rubric of “emergency national security appropriations.” Now that the border/illegal immigration provisions are dying, the White House has threatened to veto a standalone bill providing aid to Israel.

The House will vote on the standalone bill today. Its prospects are uncertain. Seeking to exert pressure on multiple fronts, the White House has let it be known:

President Biden threatened to veto a standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package being considered by the House, dismissing it as a “cynical political maneuver” by Republicans looking to scuttle the Senate’s wider national security bill. While not wholly unexpected, the statement was still somewhat remarkable given Biden’s public commitment to backing Israel as it wages a war against Hamas (it’s unclear whether the position could shift in the future if the Senate’s package collapses). House Speaker Mike Johnson called it an “act of betrayal.”

The Johnson quote suggests that the prospects of his standalone bill are poor. By the same token, I’m guessing that the White House plays a weak hand poorly. The veto threat won’t force the illegal immigration provisions of the “emergency” appropriations bill down anyone’s throat.