US House to Vote on $17.6 Billion Standalone Israel Package Amid Ukraine Funding Dispute

[Social Media]

 

In a move indicative of ongoing disputes over US migration policy, the US House is set to vote next week on a standalone $17.6 billion aid package for Israel, excluding any funds for Ukraine. Speaker Mike Johnson cited the urgent need to provide aid to Israel in its conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip as the reason for the separate vote, asserting that there isn't sufficient time to consider a comprehensive package that combines aid for Ukraine and Israel alongside US-Mexico border security provisions.

 

This standalone Israel aid bill signals a delay in addressing Ukraine aid, highlighting internal disagreements within the House GOP over migration policy. Aid for Israel has garnered more support within the House GOP compared to assistance for Ukraine.

 

The proposed bill encompasses funds for Israel's Iron Dome and Iron Beam missile defense systems, allocations for US military operations in the Middle East, and enhanced protection for US personnel at embassies. Unlike a $14 billion Israel aid bill that previously passed the House amid Democratic objections, this bill won't include offsetting spending cuts.

 

Speaker Johnson, in a letter to colleagues, emphasized the urgency of providing critical support to Israel, stating, "Given the Senate’s failure to move appropriate legislation in a timely fashion, and the perilous circumstances currently facing Israel, the House will continue to lead."

 

The bill aims to address US military funding needs arising from increased operations in the Middle East following the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip. The proposed funds include $3.3 billion for the US response to regional activities and $200 million for the protection and evacuation of US personnel.

 

As the Pentagon operates under a stopgap funding measure, the proposed bill is crucial for meeting the financial demands of the military buildup in the region. Representative Ken Calvert of California, the bill's author, highlighted the additional funding for US military activities compared to the previous November bill.

 

Notably, the original House bill proposed funding for Israel by cutting Internal Revenue Service tax enforcement funding. However, Democrats argued that this move would widen the US budget deficit due to potential revenue losses from increased tax evasion.

 

The ongoing dispute over US migration policy has further complicated the legislative process, with Speaker Johnson dismissing a reported bipartisan border-security deal as "dead on arrival" in the House. The deal, granting new powers to swiftly deport migrants, was intended to be attached to the Ukraine and Israel aid package and is scheduled for a procedural vote in the Senate on Wednesday. The absence of House involvement in negotiations has hindered swift consideration of any resulting legislation, according to Johnson.

 

05.02.24

Source

 

[impulse]

FWIW, here's the actual text of the referenced competing bill, that includes the border, Ukraine, Israel, and (I suspect) a lot of other pork.

 

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/emergency_national_security_supplemental_bill_text.pdf

 

I suspect they better approve stand-alone funding for Israel if they want to get the money to them in this lifetime.

That said, I haven't drilled down the 370 pages, nor do I have the legal background to interpret the meaning.  So I look forward to the pundits telling us what's actually in it.  It could get interesting.

 

Edited February 5 by impulse

[Hanaguma]

Stand alone bills simply make sense, especially when dealing with vastly different topics and large amounts of money. Border security needs its own bill as well, why tie it to something as unrelated as Ukraine? Obviously a political stunt by the President and the Democrats to try and score cheap points, rather than any serious attempt to get something done.

[Eric Loh]

10 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Stand alone bills simply make sense, especially when dealing with vastly different topics and large amounts of money. Border security needs its own bill as well, why tie it to something as unrelated as Ukraine? Obviously a political stunt by the President and the Democrats to try and score cheap points, rather than any serious attempt to get something done.

Does this really matters whether stand alone bills or otherwise when House Speaker Mike has to report back to Trump for his decision. 

[Pouatchee]

i just love seeing money spent on funding the war machines around the globe. there are homeless people all over america who cant afford a roof over their heads, there is an opioid crisis which requires funding to help detox these people, the inflation rate is making it more and more difficult for people to feed their kids...feel free to add to the list...

 

who actually pockets the billions spent on weapons? the arms dealers, the middle men and the weapon manufacturers do... 

i think the israelis are rich enough to fund their own defense. all this nonsense has to stop. how many armed conflicts are there around the globe now?

 

Quote

today, it monitors more than 110 armed conflicts and provides information about parties, the latest developments, and applicable international law. Some of these conflicts make the headlines, others do not. Some of them started recently, while others have lasted for more than 50 years.

https://geneva-academy.ch/galleries/today-s-armed-conflicts

 

it seems to me the only good business is the business of death

Edited February 5 by Pouatchee

[thaipo7]

Pouatchee  The first thing I would do is get rid of the Marxist regime in the White House.  They are the cause of the homeless problem and the growth over the last 3 years.  Israel is the only friendly nation in the Middle East.  We should keep them viable at any cost.  Who is making Iran rich?  The same occupants in the WH by giving them billions to fund the terrorist groups.  Plus allowing them to make $1.5 billion a month in oil sales.  Trump had them in a box that Biden let them out of.  I noticed you did not say to stop funding Iran, PLO, and other groups and use this money to help the homeless in the US.  Why is Israel the only country named by you?

[Morch]

5 hours ago, Pouatchee said:

i just love seeing money spent on funding the war machines around the globe. there are homeless people all over america who cant afford a roof over their heads, there is an opioid crisis which requires funding to help detox these people, the inflation rate is making it more and more difficult for people to feed their kids...feel free to add to the list...

 

who actually pockets the billions spent on weapons? the arms dealers, the middle men and the weapon manufacturers do... 

i think the israelis are rich enough to fund their own defense. all this nonsense has to stop. how many armed conflicts are there around the globe now?

 

https://geneva-academy.ch/galleries/today-s-armed-conflicts

 

it seems to me the only good business is the business of death

 

All these arms companies employ a whole lot of people. It's not just about the ones at the top pocketing profits.

[Morch]

2 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

Pouatchee  The first thing I would do is get rid of the Marxist regime in the White House.  They are the cause of the homeless problem and the growth over the last 3 years.  Israel is the only friendly nation in the Middle East.  We should keep them viable at any cost.  Who is making Iran rich?  The same occupants in the WH by giving them billions to fund the terrorist groups.  Plus allowing them to make $1.5 billion a month in oil sales.  Trump had them in a box that Biden let them out of.  I noticed you did not say to stop funding Iran, PLO, and other groups and use this money to help the homeless in the US.  Why is Israel the only country named by you?

 

Other than in your imagination and post, there is no 'Marxist regime' in the WH.

 

[The Old Bull]

Wow, the rich Jews sure have a lot of clout in Washington, obviously more than the rich Ukrainians.

[Pouatchee]

3 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

I noticed you did not say to stop funding Iran, PLO, and other groups and use this money to help the homeless in the US.  Why is Israel the only country named by you?

 

i didnt mean anything by it. it was the title and i wont name other countries that i dont know who else is being funded or not. apart from israel and ukraine i really dont know for sure which other countries are being funded. i think there probably are many but unless a whistleblower lets us know i think many countries keep it well hidden. iran got billions a few years back not to pursue there nuclear program.

 

i did not talk about ukraine because rather speculate about something i am unsure of i find it is better not to mention it. now there is a scandal i read about here concerning misappropriation of funds in ukraine.

 

honestly, i dont follow international news on mainstream media because i honestly dont trust what we are being told, and more importantly it angers me and makes me sad. so please, dont read into my post anything i did not say. right now the whole thing in israel between the jews and the muslims is dividing the whole planet and it is becoming a more violent form of US vs THEM than during the cold war in the 80's. i was a teen back then and the 2 things that really scared everyone was the threat of a nuclear holocaust and AIDS. 

war, or the threat of war sickens me. i think humanity has better things to do than kill each other over politics or religion

Edited February 5 by Pouatchee

[Morch]

17 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

Wow, the rich Jews sure have a lot of clout in Washington, obviously more than the rich Ukrainians.

 

Here we go with the 'rich Jews'.

Nothing to do with USA domestic politics, of course.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

All these arms companies employ a whole lot of people. It's not just about the ones at the top pocketing profits.

They are also strategically important businesses that need to be kept running and their research/development operations maintained in order to provide the U.S. with the military hardware and technology it needs, now and into the future.

[Chomper Higgot]

37 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

Wow, the rich Jews sure have a lot of clout in Washington, obviously more than the rich Ukrainians.

I’d say there is more evidence of policies lines being followed to suit Putin than there is to support your tired old ‘Jew influences’.

 

 

[BangkokHank]

56 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

Wow, the rich Jews sure have a lot of clout in Washington, obviously more than the rich Ukrainians.

The rich Ukrainians ARE Jews.

[BangkokHank]

4 hours ago, thaipo7 said:

Israel is the only friendly nation in the Middle East.  We should keep them viable at any cost.  

With friends like Israel, who needs enemies?

[Morch]

24 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

The rich Ukrainians ARE Jews.

 

22 minutes ago, BangkokHank said:

With friends like Israel, who needs enemies?

 

Have you bought your I'm-antisemite-and-proud-of-it T-shirt yet?

 

[BangkokHank]

On 2/5/2024 at 7:01 PM, Morch said:

 

 

Have you bought your I'm-antisemite-and-proud-of-it T-shirt yet?

 

Not yet. Where can I find one?

 

https://www.theoccidentalobserver.net/2024/02/21/the-primacy-of-anti-semitism/