House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has introduced a bill that would provide $17.6 billion in military assistance to Israel. This legislation is a departure from Johnson’s previous position, as it does not include any provisions to pay for the funding. The bill will be considered on the House floor next week and notably excludes any additional aid to Ukraine.
Johnson emphasized the need to support Israel, which he considers the United States’ closest ally in the region. He stated that many members of the Republican conference have urged immediate action. If the bill passes the House, it will put significant pressure on the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Joe Biden to approve aid for Israel, as it has widespread bipartisan support.
The exclusion of aid to Ukraine in Johnson’s bill further complicates the situation. The Biden administration has made providing assistance to Ukraine a top priority, but support for this aid has been waning among Republicans. The Senate’s bipartisan border deal, which seeks to tie both Ukraine and Israel aid to changes in migrant policy, has faced opposition from House Republicans. Johnson’s introduction of the Israel assistance bill without provisions for Ukraine adds another obstacle to passing the Senate’s deal.
Last year, when the House was under Republican control, it passed an Israel aid bill that provided over $14 billion in assistance to the country following an attack by Hamas. The funding for this bill was obtained by clawing back money from the Internal Revenue Service that originally came from the Inflation Reduction Act, a milestone legislation championed by Biden and Democrats. The bill passed mostly along party lines, with a few Democrats reluctantly supporting it.
However, the inclusion of provisions to pay for the aid made the bill unappealing to Senate Democrats, who saw it as a “poison pill” that ultimately stalled assistance to Israel. Some House Republicans also criticized the bill, arguing that a clean bill without spending cuts should have been passed initially. Since then, Congress has not passed any legislation providing aid to Israel.
Johnson’s decision to introduce a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package reflects the House’s determination to take the lead in supporting Israel. He expressed disappointment in the Senate’s failure to pass appropriate legislation in a timely manner and highlighted the perilous circumstances currently facing Israel.
The Senate’s reaction to a clean Israel funding bill remains uncertain, as the bipartisan deal that ties aid to Israel and other U.S. allies to border and migrant policy changes is set to be unveiled soon. These negotiations, which have been ongoing for four months among a small group of bipartisan senators, have faced criticism from House Republicans. They have scrutinized the deal due to leaks about its migrant policy changes, arguing that the measures proposed do not go far enough to address the crisis at the southern border.
Johnson criticized the Senate’s handling of the border talks, stating that by excluding the House from negotiations, they have eliminated the possibility of swift consideration of any legislation. The outcome of these negotiations and their impact on the passage of the Israel assistance bill remain to be seen.
