House of Representatives, $14.5 billion in aid to Israel

2023-11-03 07:08:36, Kosova & Bota CNA

The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a nearly $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel, a strong U.S. support for the war with Hamas, but also a partisan approach from new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden.

Unlike in the past, the package approved by the House of Representatives led by Mr. Johnson requires that emergency aid be offset by cuts in government spending elsewhere.

President Biden has said he will veto the bill, which passed 226-196, with 12 Democrats joining the Republican majority. Two Republicans voted against.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the Republican package would provide Israel with the aid it needs to defend itself, free hostages taken by Hamas and root out the Palestinian militant group. He said lawmakers are working to ensure responsible investment and reduce the size of the federal government.

Democrats said that approach would delay aid to Israel. The leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, has warned that the "extremely frivolous" bill has no chance of being approved in the Senate.

President Joe Biden has asked Congress for a $106 billion aid package, which includes aid to Israel and Ukraine as well as funds to increase competition with China in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as funds to increase security along the U.S. border. United States and Mexico.

Mr Johnson has said he wants to deal with the issues separately, while he will then consider aid to Ukraine and the issue of border security. In the ranks of the Republicans, voices against aid to Kiev have increased.

In warning of a veto, the White House said Mr Johnson's approach "fails to meet the urgent needs of the moment" and would make a dangerous case for requiring emergency funding to come from cuts elsewhere.

The figure in the Republican-passed bill is similar to the amount Mr. Biden has sought, but the White House said the omission of humanitarian aid for Gaza is "a serious mistake" as the crisis deepens.

"This bill goes against the normal, bipartisan approach to approving emergency national security assistance," the White House said in a statement. The Republicans' stance "would bring devastating complications to our security in the years to come," the statement added.

Republicans have a small lead in the House of Representatives while Democrats control the Senate. To become law, a draft proposal must be approved in the House of Representatives and the Senate and then signed by President Biden./ VOA