- Bill includes US military funding for Middle East operations
- Signals that House Republicans prepared to delay Ukraine aid
February 3, 2024
The US House will next week vote on an standalone $17.6 billion Israel aid package without any Ukraine aid, Speaker Mike Johnson said Saturday.
Johnson said the move is needed to get aid to Israel quickly in its battle with Hamas in the Gaza Strip because there is no time to consider a package that combines aid to Ukraine and Israel with US-Mexico border security provisions. That proposal is set to be released soon by the Senate after lengthy negotiations.
The Israel bill unveiled Saturday is the latest sign that House Republicans are prepared to delay action on Ukraine aid indefinitely due to disputes over US migration policy. Aid for Israel is far more popular within the House GOP than aid to Ukraine.
The bill includes funds for Israel’s Iron Dome and Iron Beam missile defense systems, funds for US military operations in the Middle East and enhanced protection for US personnel at embassies. It won’t have offsetting spending cuts, unlike a $14 billion Israel aid bill that passed the House over Democratic objections.
“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,” Johnson said in a letter to colleagues.
“During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets,” he said. “The Senate will no longer have excuses, however misguided, against swift passage of this critical support for our ally.
The bill seeks to address US military funding needs for the buildup in operations in the Middle East after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military incursion in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Iranian-backed groups have attacked on Red Sea shipping and American troops and allies stationed in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 7. The House proposal would provide $3.3 billion to fund the US’s response and $200 million for protection of US personnel and evacuations of US citizens.
The Pentagon is operating under a stopgap funding measure and would otherwise need emergency spending to pay for its ramp-up.
The extra funding compared to the November bill is for US military activities in the region, bill author Representative Ken Calvert of California said.
The original House bill claimed to pay for Israel aid by cutting Internal Revenue Service tax enforcement funding. Democrats said that move would have widened the US budget deficit due to revenue losses from increased tax cheating.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office also concluded the lost revenue would add more to the deficit than the IRS spending cut.
‘Dead on Arrival’
Johnson has said that a reported bipartisan border-security deal being finalized in the Senate is dead on arrival in the House. That deal, granting the president new powers to swiftly deport migrants, is to be attached to Ukraine and Israel aid and is slated to come up for procedural vote on Wednesday in the Senate.
“While the Senate appears poised to finally release text of their supplemental package after months of behind closed doors negotiations, their leadership is aware that by failing to include the House in their negotiations, they have eliminated the ability for swift consideration of any legislation,” Johnson said in the letter.
Mike Johnson is not only a dirty liar but a treasonous gofer, serving another traitor called Donald Trump and his political goals. Both are very bad for the United States and its allies. It’s high time for the American people who are their fans to wake up to reality.
If Biden has any sense and honor left in his tired old skull, he will veto the bill.
How does this article get more support for Ukraine? Why are we helping the Kremlin by dividing people? You even changed the headline picture to support putin. Yeah, here on Ukraine Today. Congratulations…I hope you feel better.
Red, i like you a lot. My girlfriend is from the Midwest. But why you still keep defending an enemy of Ukraine? I also supported Donald Trump after Obummer allowed RuSSia to annex Crimea. But as of now, Trump is the worst case.
Its not about supporting Trump it is about supporting all people who love Ukraine. Its about being fair. Its about political tolerance in the name of supporting Ukraine. If this site lost me its lost thousands and the numbers prove it. We used to be fair but now we have contributors that say the GOP is guilty of helping putin and should be burned alive. Take care Mike, I tried to keep this site fair but it is out of control now and only one political view is allowed. Its better I go than close the site. I am terribly, terribly sad and I have no doubt Scradge, Facts, bert and Larry could give a fuck, I guess I should consider myself lucky they didn’t find me and burn me alive.
Maybe you need a timeout. I can’t even count in how often i left this site or got banned after my Suzanna died and i was drinking heavily. You surely will come back, since you love Ukraine like the rest of us. Except for Bert. 😁
Red, I’m sorry that you feel that way, but you’re being totally unfair. I, for one, never blame the entire GOP for the current mess in the House. I strive to make it clear that it’s only a small group who have managed to kidnap this legislative body. Furthermore, I also never attacked you in any way over your stance. And, on numerous occasions, I kindly asked you to give me something else to go on, something that would change my mind.
Red, it’s a fact that Trump is no friend of Ukraine. His latest antic telling his friends in the House to refuse any border deal was the last straw for me. It’s also not a secret that Vance, Gaetz, Taylor-Greene, Johnson, and others also hate Ukraine. Why do they hate Ukraine? Why do they want russia to win?
This site was created to support Ukraine. The individuals that I’ve mentioned above belong to the same class of persons as Schröder, Carlson, Seagal, and others. They are definitely anti-Ukraine. Thus, I don’t understand your stance, Red.
Red, I ask you not to go away. This is not the way to solve problems. Maybe you should write a declaration to better explain your point of view, because I don’t quite understand it.
I want to add: even though I am a moderate leftist, I do think the majority of the GOP is pro-Ukrainian, I never doubted this.
The problem is that just one guy can put proposals up for a vote, and this one guy happens to be a pro-Trump and pro-Russian guy.
And honestly, even though I wish all Americans the very best, I am mostly concerned about Ukraine, not really domestic American issues.
If I can choose to put minefields along the entire U.S. border to secure aid to Ukraine, I wouldn’t have to think for a second. Ukraine is sacred to me and I think the security of the entire West depends on what is happening in Ukraine.
If Nikki Haley would be willing to send more aid to Ukraine than Joe Biden, she would be the one I would support (my support would be modest though as I am not an American citizen).
^bert
We think alike, Bert. As for Americans, most are only concerned about domestic issues. Many … too many … can’t even find Canada on a map, much less Ukraine.
I’m also hoping for a Nikki win. But, we still have a long and stony path ahead until this happens, if it does at all.
I must say, she is an incredible speaker.
She would win a debate against Biden with ease.
^bert
I don’t want to burn you alive, the only thing I want is the Congress to approve aid to Ukraine one way or another.
And I find it very inappropriate you keep supporting this MAGA wing of the GOP and gaslighting others, in particular the Democratic party, as Ukrainians are dying because of some political game some Republicans are playing.
I have expressed my fear about a year ago that the speaker of the House would do this when the Republican party took a majority of the seats and you didn’t take me serious, but here we are, it happened.
We are already in the second month of Ukraine not receiving the shells it need.
They cannot defend their cities from missile strikes anymore as they are running out of Patriot missiles and they cannot properly use their 155 mm artillery systems because they don’t have enough shells.
This has to stop and Johnson has to put aid to Ukraine up for a vote immediately!
^bert
Who said anything about burning you alive? You keep coming up with these violent fantasies. “Burning you alive”, “pulling your skin off very slowly”, “killing you, your family, and your pets”.
I tried explaining previously that I have no hatred for you, or your family or your pets. If I met you, the only action I’d take would be buying you a drink. And the only burning would be if you ordered a flaming drink. 🙂
“it is about supporting all people who love Ukraine.”
And it is also about opposing those people who hate Ukraine. Which includes those MAGAts in the US House who are blocking desperately needed aid for Ukraine. I don’t hate them because they’re Republican. I hate them because they’d rather see thousands of Ukrainians die than do the right thing, just because doing the right thing would be seen as giving President Biden a win.
“we have contributors that say the GOP is guilty of helping putin”
Do you disagree that blocking aid for Ukraine is helping putin? It’s the House GOP that is doing that.
Yes. I hate RSM supporting the orange guy and his cronies and shitting on anyone that isn’t the orange guy or one of his cronies.
And not because I hate this orange guy and his cronies, but because they are anti-Ukrainian and pro-Russian.
I don’t hate RSM as a person: he is the one that created this website in the first place for which I am grateful. I would buy him a beer if I would meet him in person, and no it will not be poisoned nor will it be Heineken (which is basically the same thing).
But I feel RSM has been caught in some misinformation bubble he didn’t manage to come out yet. Sometimes it seems he has reached the edge of this bubble and is near coming out, but then he falls back again.
^bert
“How does this article get more support for Ukraine?”
1. It’s a news article that is highly relevant to Ukraine.
2. It gets more support for Ukraine if it inspires people to call or write their congressperson and tell them to support the bipartisan Senate bill and reject that magaputler attempt to jettison financial support for Ukraine.
“changed the headline picture to support putin”
How does depicting putler kissing trumpkov “support putin”?
Support from whom, Red? From the people?
I will be happy if Ukraine wins the war. But, this is not going to happen with the pack of gangsters running the show in the House with a lot of help from putin’s perverted buddy, Trump. I will keep kicking this bucket around, Red, unless you give me something else to go on.
Dude, Ukrainians are dying as a direct result of this guy withholding aid.
I have no words for your behaviour.
^bert
I’m beginning to like Hitler…
“Johnson said the move is needed to get aid to Israel quickly in its battle with Hamas in the Gaza Strip because there is no time to consider a package that combines aid to Ukraine and Israel with US-Mexico border security provisions.”
You had 4 fucking months to sort this out. Is the Jewish community in the US threatening to withhold donations to the GOP in the election campaign?
You just can’t believe a damned word this snake hisses, just like his bosses in courtroom and in muscovy.
Yeah. And Trump praised the Hamas attack as cunning…
LOL. The “Jewish community” isn’t going to be supporting the party of antisemitism.
Mike Johnson is evangelical – they believe that the creation of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy that would bring about Christ’s return, and that God will bless those who bless Israel, and curse those who curse it.
In the last election, the amount of contributions to the GOP from Jews was roughly $140 million. That’s a large amount of money to fund anyone’s campaign.
About 80% of Jews vote Democratic.
“roughly $140 million”
How much if you subtract what Sheldon Adelson gave?
Before Zelensky Ukraine was in a relatively strong position.
Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Russian forces’ occupation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions took place 5 years before Zelensky was elected.
The full scale invasion started when Zelensky was in office. And he downplayed the threat and failed to secure the southern frontline and the border with Belarus.
Yes, but I do support Mike in that I think Porochenko was a much more capable guy. He basically built an army from scratch.
^bert
Adelson gave the GOP $28 million, but he’s not the highest contributor, Stephen and Christine Schwarzman gave the GOP $28.4 million.
You wrote, “In the last election”; I was thinking about the 2020 election, in which the Adelsons gave $172.7 million. Sheldon’s death in 2021 has cut back on his political donations. 🙂
Yeah. He won’t be donating much this time.
Whether we’re referring to 2022 or 2020 doesn’t alter my main point, which is: a handful of billionaires supporting Republicans because they don’t want to pay taxes can add up to “a large amount of money”, but doesn’t represent “the Jewish community”.
Zelensky and Trump are the ultimate nightmare for Ukraine.
I honestly believe everyone is going off the deep end. This is all political bull shit and politicking. Nothing will happen with this bill. It’s all bullshit. Don’t you guys get that. I sincerely believe Ukraine will get funded but needs to go thru this tragedy.
I sincerely hope that you’re right. But I predicted a few days ago that “MAGA Mike” would try to split Israel off, push that through, and then nuke the aid to Ukraine.
My fear is that this bill will pick up votes even from those who support Ukraine, because they don’t want to be seen as voting against Israel.
I hear you Larry. It just seems this entire debacle is focused on creating chaos. Ukraine will be funded. There are too many pro Ukrainian legislators for anyone or group to prevent it. At least that what I hope.