Republican lawmakers propose $17.6 billion in aid to Israel/Leave out Ukraine

2024-02-04 21:43:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Republican lawmakers will propose a $17.6 billion military aid package for Israel and to replenish the US arsenal, but which excludes further aid to Ukraine. The proposal highlights the challenges facing supporters of a comprehensive national security budget that would include billions of dollars for immigration enforcement.

The bill gives House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republican lawmakers a chance to show support for Israel, though it has little chance of passing the Senate. Meanwhile, the text of a broader Senate compromise was expected to be released this weekend, and a key vote was expected to take place next week on the next package.

Mr. Johnson said that the leaders of the Senate are aware that by not including the House of Representatives in their negotiations, they have thus eliminated the possibility of a quick review of the proposed legislation.

"As I have said repeatedly over the past three months, the House of Representatives must decide where it stands on these issues and our priorities must be addressed," Mr. Johnson said in a letter to fellow lawmakers.

The House of Representatives approved a $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel in November, which the Senate refused to consider. Republicans also insisted that aid funds come from budget cuts in other sectors. The bill sought to cut the budget of the tax agency, the IRS, although the independent Congressional Budget Office said it would result in a net cost of $12.5 billion to the federal government due to losses from problems in collecting taxes. taxes.

The tactic of including cuts to the IRS made the proposal even more partisan, passing 226 votes to 196. Johnson said in a letter to lawmakers that removing the proposed cuts would allow aid to Israel to be approved more quickly.

"During the House debate and in numerous statements that followed, Democrats made it clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was about the cuts," Mr. Johnson said. "The Senate will no longer have excuses, no matter how unfair, against quickly approving this important support for our ally."

Republican lawmaker Ken Calvert released the text of the military aid bill for Israel. The proposal provides $4 billion to replenish the depleted stockpile of air defense missiles and $1.2 billion for short-range missile and mortar defense. There are also funds to purchase advanced weapons systems and to increase production of artillery and other munitions.

To ensure that this aid will not compromise the military readiness of the United States, the proposal contains $4.4 billion to supplement the stockpile of armaments to be given to Israel. The bill also includes 3.3 billion dollars for current American operations in the region./ Voa