(PatriotSpotlight.org) – On Tuesday 6 February Democrats in Congress stopped the approval of a thwarted Republican-sponsored bill that planned to allocate $17.6 billion to Israel. The Democrat victory came amid the party’s push for a wider legislative measure that would also encompass aid for Ukraine’s war against Russia, global humanitarian assistance, and more funding security on the U.S. southern border.
In a vote that the GOP lost 180 to 250, the bill failed the two-thirds majority required for approval. Critics of the planned aid to Israel complained that it was a right-wing political maneuver to divert attention from GOP opposition to a $118 billion Senate bill. This wider proposal included an overhaul of US immigration policy with new border security funding, along with a package of emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific partners.
Conversely, the thwarted Israel-focused bill sought to provide $17.6 billion in military assistance to the Middle Eastern nation, a push backed by most US lawmakers across the political spectrum following the recent attacks on Israel by terrorist groups. Despite assertions Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s claims that the more ambitious Senate bill was unlikely to gain traction, the opposition to the standalone bill won out.
Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat who sits on the House appropriations committee, argued in favor of rejecting the Israel-only bill, stressing her view that comprehensive support was required to address existential threats faced by allies and humanitarian crises globally. Still, there were divisions within the Democratic camp, with 167 Democrats voting against the bill in the wake of President Joe Biden’s threat to vet it over concerns that the standalone bill was geared toward undermining the heftier bipartisan package put forward after lengthy negotiations.
A total of 13 Republicans also voted down the standalone bill, citing fiscal concerns such as its lack of budgetary offsets. Those backing the Israel-only bill made the case for its urgency amid the ongoing war on Hamas in Gaza. Johnson echoed this sentiment. He had previously spearheaded efforts to secure $14.3 billion in aid for Israel, although they were met with stumbling blocks over claims it would require budget cuts in other areas.
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