Speaking with Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany, House Speaker Mike Johnson minced no words about the necessity for providing aid to Israel as it fights the terrorist group Hamas, saying, “This is a matter of good versus evil.”
“Let’s talk about one of those areas of common ground, potentially: this Israel aid package, stand-alone Israel aid. The reporting is that there will be a vote, hopefully Thursday. Is that the time that you’re looking at?” McEnany asked.
“I’m hoping Thursday,” Johnson replied.
“It looks like $14.5 billion is the number that you’re looking at. And you suggest that maybe you’ll get a bipartisan vote here,” McEnany stated.
“I sure hope so,” Johnson said.
“Do you have any sense of the number of Democrats who you think might come?” McEnany asked.
“I hope that it’s most or all of them,” Johnson answered. “I mean, there’s a few people who have philosophical differences on that and we’ll have some intense debates about their opposition to that. But, look, this is a matter of good versus evil.”
Johnson explained that he wanted to take money that the Biden administration had earmarked for expanding the Internal Revenue Service and use some of it to help Israel, saying, “My intention and my desire in the first draft of this bill is to take some of the money that has been set aside for the building and the bulking up of the IRS right now. We have about $67 billion in that fund and we’ll try to take the $14.5 necessary for this immediate and urgent need.”
Johnson told McEnany, “I understand their priority is to bulk up the IRS. But I think if you put this to the American people and they weigh the two needs — I think they’re going to say standing with Israel and protecting the innocent over there is in our national interest.”
President Biden got $80 billion through the Inflation Reduction Act to expand the IRS. Roughly $21 billion was removed as part of a debt ceiling deal in June.
Rep. Chip Roy tweeted, “To truly #StandWithIsrael, we should swiftly PASS a stand-alone $14BB Israel-only support package… & PAY FOR that support to ensure our own fiscal & military strength… & STOP FUNDING the soulless globalists (UN, e.g.) supporting Hamas, Iran, & our other common enemies.”
To truly #StandWithIsrael, we should swiftly PASS a stand-alone $14BB Israel-only support package… & PAY FOR that support to ensure our own fiscal & military strength… & STOP FUNDING the soulless globalists (UN, e.g.) supporting Hamas, Iran, & our other common enemies… https://t.co/jHGrmccnWf
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) October 27, 2023