The GOP-led House will take up a “clean, standalone” bill to send more aid to Israel this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced on Saturday.
This new measure is a departure from legislation passed by the House in early November — with the help of a small group of Democrats who broke ranks — that coupled $14.3 billion in support for Israel with an offset slashing the same amount of funds meant for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Given the Senate’s failure to move appropriate legislation in a timely fashion, and the perilous circumstances currently facing Israel, the House will continue to lead. Next week, we will take up and pass a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package,” Johnson said in a Saturday letter.
“During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets,” Johnson added. “The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally.”
Israel has been fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip since early October — when the group initiated deadly terrorist attacks on Israeli soil — and in recent days, U.S. forces have begun to launch strikes on Iranian-backed militia targets across the Middle East in retaliation for the killing of three U.S. troops.
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“The need to support our closest ally and our own forces in the region has never been more pressing, and many members of our Conference have urged immediate action,” Johnson said.
The Biden administration has requested that Congress approve more than $100 billion in supplemental funds for U.S. allies, humanitarian aid, and border security.
Bipartisan talks in the Senate could soon lead to a deal tying Biden’s request to border security reforms, but Johnson signaled frustration in his letter with how the negotiations have been conducted.
“While the Senate appears poised to finally release text of their supplemental package after months of behind closed doors negotiations, their leadership is aware that by failing to include the House in their negotiations, they have eliminated the ability for swift consideration of any legislation,” he said.
The White House released a statement on Saturday that highlighted how Johnson unveiled his new proposal as legislative text in the Senate was imminent after months of negotiations that included input from the Biden administration.
“We strongly oppose this ploy which does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s aggression, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.