“A political trick”
White House threatens to veto aid to Israel
February 6, 2024, 4:45 a.m
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In the US Senate, Republicans and Democrats are preparing a comprehensive aid package for Ukraine, Israel and their own national security. A competing law is coming from the House of Representatives that only affects Israel. The White House calls it a trick and threatens to veto it.
US President Joe Biden’s administration plans to veto a bill supported by Republicans in the House of Representatives that would provide aid to Israel. “The administration strongly opposes this proposal, which does nothing to secure the border, does not help the Ukrainian people defend themselves against Putin’s aggression, does not support the security of American synagogues, mosques and vulnerable places of worship, and does not support Palestinian civilians, most of whom are women and children are denied humanitarian assistance,” the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement. “The administration urges both houses of Congress to reject this political ploy and instead quickly place the bipartisan supplemental national security appropriations bill on the President’s desk.”
Officials in the president’s Democratic administration worked for months with Democrats and Republicans in the Senate on legislation that was unveiled Sunday. It combines an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy and new funding for border security with billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The $118 billion measure would also provide humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by global conflicts.
Johnson: “An act of betrayal”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Saturday that the House would reject the Senate’s bipartisan bill and instead vote this week on a measure that only helps Israel. “The president’s veto threat is an act of treason,” Johnson said in a statement. “By threatening to veto aid to Israel and our armed forces, President Biden is abandoning our ally in our hour of greatest need.”
Republicans are bitterly divided over the legislation, with Donald Trump – the front-runner for his party’s presidential nomination – and his closest allies vocally opposing it and calling the Senate plan insufficiently tough. Trump has made security at the border with Mexico a key talking point in his campaign against Biden ahead of the November election. The Republican-majority House of Representatives passed a bill in November that referred exclusively to Israel. It was never dealt with in the Democratic-led Senate because, at Biden’s request, MPs were supposed to put together a broader package of measures.