GOP House Passes $14.3B Israel Aid Bill With Bipartisan Support, Despite Some GOP Opposition

With a narrow Republican majority, the House of Representatives passed on Thursday night a bill to provide additional funds to Israel, our ally, during the war against Hamas that was sparked by their October 7th invasion. The 226-196 vote resulted from 12 Democrats crossing aisles voting ‘yes’.

The GOP conference voted almost unanimously in favor of the bill, but two GOP Reps — Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene — voted against it.

The big fight begins now, of course. Both the Senate and the White House have expressed opposition to the legislation — as well as Mitch McConnell.

Johnson is apparently a partisan and not fiscally responsible, which is strange because Mitch McConnell’s reaction to Johnson’s choice is the same as that of Democrats.

McConnell will have to be pushed into voting for the bill because it does not have everything he wants. God forbid that we focus on just one bill at a time and ensure all of the money is there and that we don’t take on additional debt. Johnson committed a crime.

The Hill:

House Republicans approved a $14.3-billion aid package to Israel on Thursday, setting up a showdown with Democrats in the Senate. They have attacked the GOP bill because it excludes Ukraine funds and cuts IRS coffers.[…]

The Biden administration threatened to veto House legislation in a press release, arguing that it was “bad for Israel and the Middle East, as well as for our national security.”

The vote is a victory for the newly installed Speaker Mike Johnson (R – La). The new Speaker, Mike Johnson (R-La), is trying to bring together a divided GOP after last month’s bitter vote that ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Speaker Johnson, speaking to reporters Thursday at a news conference, dismissed suggestions that the separate bill funding that excluded Ukraine and IRS expenditure items was political, and returned to his argument that working towards balancing the books of the country is important.

If Democrats in the Senate, the House, or anywhere else want to argue that the hiring of more IRS agents at this moment is more important than standing up for Israel, I am ready to debate that. But I didn’t attach that to serve political purposes.