US House of Representatives rejects Republican bill to aid Israel without Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a Republican bill that would have allocated $17.6 billion in aid to Israel alone, as Democrats wanted to vote on a broader Senate package that included aid to Ukraine, humanitarian aid, and border security funding.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected a Republican-proposed bill that would provide $17.6 billion for Israel, as Democrats said they wanted to vote instead for a broader package that would also provide aid to Ukraine, humanitarian funding to the international community and additional money for border security, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
The vote was 250 to 180.
"Aid to Israel," one of the largest recipients of U.S. foreign aid, has traditionally enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Congress. But many opponents have called the House bill a political ploy by Republicans to deflect attention from their opposition to the Senate's $118 billion bill, which combines an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy and new border security funding with billions of dollars in emergency aid to Ukraine, Israel, and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, said the Senate bill would be "dead on arrival" in the chamber before it was even introduced. And Senate Republican leaders said on Tuesday that they did not think the measure would get enough votes to pass.
Addendum
Democratic President Joe Biden, who supports the Senate bill, promised to veto the House bill on Israel.
The failed House vote on Israel was the second in a row for Johnson's Republican majority on Tuesday. It came just after the House voted against impeaching Biden's top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
