A plan to give $14.3 billion in aid to Israel by slashing funds for the Internal Revenue Service was introduced by Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Monday, setting up a confrontation with Senate Democrats.
Before being elected House Speaker last week, Johnson had stated he wanted help to Israel and Ukraine to be handled independently. He had voted against funding for Ukraine. He has declared his desire for greater transparency on the funding provided to the Ukrainian government in its battle against Russian annexation.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Confident in US House Support for Increased Funding
The Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, expressed confidence on Monday that the House would support a request for more funding for the country’s armed forces.
“The outcome is what matters most: were there sufficient votes cast?” Kuleba spoke to national television in Ukraine. “And at this point, we have every reason to think that the bill giving Ukraine more support is up for a vote in the US House of Representatives.” It would be a “sin” for US senators not to utilize the law to further their interests, according to Kuleba, who acknowledged that there has been “considerable political resistance” to the bill’s contents.
In an interview with Fox News last week, Johnson expressed his intention to “bifurcate” the financial difficulties of Israel and Ukraine, saying that Israel is a different subject.
Following Hamas’ attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people and the kidnapping of over 200 more, According to Johnson, the US national security should prioritize bolstering its support for Israel.
Republicans were accused by Democrats of drafting a partisan bill that would impede Congress’s capacity to assist Israel.
In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre charged Republicans for “politicizing national security” and referred to their plan as dead on arrival. The bill would need to be approved by the Senate and the House and signed by Biden to become law.
According to a statement from Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democratic member of the House Appropriations Committee, “House Republicans are establishing an unsafe precedent by suggesting that safeguarding national security or dealing with natural disasters is dependant upon cuts to other programs.”
The Republican Israel bill is scheduled to be discussed by the House Rules Committee on Wednesday.