"WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) is on a collision course with the Senate over a plan to immediately fund aid for Israel but not Ukraine, with a proposed House bill drawing rebukes from Democrats and a cool reception from some Republicans who favor a broader foreign-policy package.
The newly elected leader is moving to hold a vote on a bill Thursday giving Israel $14.3 billion in aid and taking previously allocated funding for the Internal Revenue Service to offset the expense. The package would be far smaller than the $106 billion requested by the White House to fund not only Israel but also Ukraine, Taiwan and border security.
Johnson said on Fox News that most Americans are "going to say standing with Israel and protecting the innocent over there is in our national interest and is a more immediate need than IRS agents." He has said he is open to looking at Ukraine aid but that Israel funds were more urgent and a slimmer package would ensure its quick passage, due to growing skepticism of funding Kyiv among Republican lawmakers.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) on Tuesday said the package was unserious. He called it "partisan and woefully inadequate" due to the lack of aid to Ukraine, no humanitarian assistance for Gaza and what he termed "poison pills" that increase the deficit and help tax cheats.
Schumer said he would continue working with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), a fierce backer of Ukraine, to craft a broader proposal.
"Conceptually, I think Schumer and I are in the same place," McConnell said, while adding he and other Republicans wanted policy changes to stem the number of migrants crossing the border, not just more money. "We need to address all four of those areas in a credible way," he said, referring to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and the border.
Some Senate Republicans have challenged McConnell's approach. Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) said that at a closed-door lunch last week he had the impression that rank-and-file Republicans would have the votes to deny Senate leaders the 60 votes needed to advance the broader spending package. Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the chamber.
"I just had the sense and I still have that sense," Ron Johnson said. If the House acts first and passes a narrow bill to support Israel, particularly if Republicans pick up any Democratic support, then "it will be overwhelming to pass here in the Senate."
The Biden administration's $106 billion supplemental spending bill would cover military aid to both Ukraine and Israel, as well as humanitarian assistance for civilians harmed by the events in Ukraine, the hostilities in Israel and Gaza and by natural disasters. It would also provide security assistance to allies in the Indo-Pacific.
It would also appropriate funds to address the continuing surge of migrants at the border and would provide funding for child care and high-speed internet service.
The House GOP showed no signs of backing down on its approach to a supplemental spending bill, with the House Rules Committee set to meet Wednesday to approve the rule needed to put the Israel funding bill on the House floor. Taken together, the back-and-forth between the House and the Senate sets the stage for a stalemate that senators said put Ukraine at risk and threatened to push the fight over aid to Israel into another coming fight over avoiding a government shutdown.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met behind closed doors with Mike Johnson. "Very good meeting. I really appreciate the opportunity," Blinken said without elaborating.
"The issues are winners for Republicans," said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa), saying that his party supports aid to Israel and opposes the $80 billion that Biden secured for the IRS over a decade as part of a major climate, tax and healthcare law that the president signed in 2022." [1]
Without US support, the music in Kiev stops, and peace in Ukraine is guaranteed for the nearest future. Whoever pays the money also orders the music. Americans have shown political maturity by electing a Congress that knows how to count money.
1. U.S. News: House, Senate Brace for Showdown on Aid. Hughes, Siobhan. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 01 Nov 2023: A.4.
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