U.S. Senate opposes Israel-only aid bill
The U.S. Senate opposes the bill on aid to Israel excluding aid to Ukraine (Getty Images)
United States senators have expressed doubts about the Republican plan in the House of Representatives to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel without aid to Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives Congress introduced a bill for additional spending exclusively for Israel, despite President Joe Biden's request for a $106 billion allocation, which would have included:
- Assistance to Jerusalem and Kyiv.
- Funding to strengthen competition with China in the Indo-Pacific region.
- Security on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Although Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats control the Senate. For the bill to become law, it must:
- Pass the House of Representatives and the Senate.
- Receive President Biden's signature.
Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that the Republican bill will be "dead on arrival" in the upper chamber, even if it passes the House of Representatives.
President Biden is also expected to veto the plan.
"This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security," the White House's Office of Management and Budget said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell believes that all four of the aforementioned issues, including Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and border security, need to be addressed.
Prior to this, after the election of the new House Speaker Mike Johnson, he proposed a version of the $14.3 billion aid package for Israel without aid to Ukraine. The White House, in response, announced it would veto the Republican-proposed bill, which did not include assistance to Ukraine.
