House advances $14.3 Billion Israel aid package, sparking upcoming battle with the Senate and the White House
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – On Thursday, a $14.3 billion Republican-authored Israel aid package passed with a 226-196 vote, mostly along party lines. However, the Democratic-led Senate and the White House have promptly rejected the bill. This vote represented a pivotal test for Speaker Mike Johnson, who was elected to the position just last week, with a dozen Democrats crossing party lines to support the measure.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La) stand-alone bill, which was extracted from a $106 billion emergency aid package requested by President Biden, faces strong opposition from the White House, congressional Democrats, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
They argue that separating Israel aid from Ukraine aid is not the preferred approach to secure the necessary 60 Senate votes and favor Mr. Biden’s comprehensive proposal.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to break down the aid request and finance the bill using funds designated for the IRS has virtually doomed the legislation within the Democratic-led Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer announced that the Senate would not consider the House’s “deeply flawed proposal.”
“Instead we will work on our own bipartisan emergency aid package that includes funding for aid to Israel, Ukraine, humanitarian aid including for Gaza, and competition with the Chinese Government,” Mr. Schumer wrote.
The White House has also pledged to veto the Republican bill for similar reasons.
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