Biden to veto potential standalone bill on aid for 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Nov 2023 17:09

While Republicans hold a 221-212 majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives to speak to reporters about support for "Israel" after conferring with Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, right, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties voiced concerns on Tuesday regarding the House Republicans' proposal to allocate $14.3 billion in assistance to "Israel" by reducing funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), all while not offering assistance to Ukraine. President Joe Biden has already warned that he would veto the bill if it were to be approved.

Last Monday, House Republicans introduced a separate supplementary spending bill exclusively designated for "Israel."

The move contrasts Biden's call for a more comprehensive $106 billion package, which would cover aid for both "Israel" and Ukraine, provisions for increasing provocations against China in the Indo-Pacific region under the pretext of enhancing cooperation and bolstering security along the US-Mexico border.

While Republicans hold a 221-212 majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats have a 51-49 majority in the Senate. For a bill to become law, it must successfully pass both the House and the Senate and receive Biden's signature.

The leading Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer told reporters that the Republican bill would face insurmountable challenges in the upper chamber and would not advance, even if it were to pass the House.

"The bottom line is it's not a serious proposal," Schumer said.

Chuck Schumer on MAGA Mike's first attempt at a big boy bill on aid for Israel, "It makes it much, much harder to pass Aid for Israel. It's insulting that the hard right is openly trying to exploit the crisis in Israel to try and reward the ultra rich." pic.twitter.com/bhZVoAxage
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 31, 2023

The Biden administration has also indicated that if a bill of this nature were to make its way to Biden's desk, he would exercise his veto power to prevent it from becoming law because the GOP package provides $14.3 billion in aid for "Israel" but deviates from the White House's strategy of combining aid for Ukraine and "Israel" into the same legislation.

"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.