The House has released text of the supplement Israel funding bill, appropriating $14.3 billion dollars to aid the country, setting up one of the first leadership tests for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson.
As the Louisiana Republican noted last week, the GOP-led bill includes the same amount in spending cuts, rescinding $14.3 billion that had been allocated to the IRS as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Democrats are warning that the bill’s offsets could cost it passage in the House. And so far, two House Republicans – Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia – have said they will oppose the bill.
In the Senate, both leaders have pressed to have any funding for Israel combined with Ukraine and border security funding. Johnson has pushed to detach the aid to Israel from the Ukraine aid.
Johnson told Fox News on Monday that he will call Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to discuss his push to include spending cuts to offset the costs of the Israel package expected to hot the House floor later this week as Senate Democrats signal they would reject that plan.
Johnson, in a taped interview on Fox News, noted his strategy “may” cost Senate and House Democratic support but said his intention is to call Schumer and “have a very direct and thoughtful conversation about this. I understand their priority is to bulk up the IRS.”
Schumer insisted that funding for Ukraine, as well as humanitarian aid for Gaza, should be included in any supplemental package.
“We need to work with our colleagues in the House to ensure all these forms of aid make it to the President’s desk,” Schumer said. “We must not succumb to the false allures of isolationism that the hard right now professes, because the only thing that will achieve is to make America less safe.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell continued advocating for including aid for Ukraine in the national security supplemental at an event Monday with the Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova in Louisville, Kentucky.
“This is a moment for swift and decisive action to prevent further loss of life, and to impose real consequences on the tyrants who have terrorized the people of Ukraine and of Israel. And right now, the Senate has a chance to produce supplemental assistance that will help us do exactly that,” McConnell said. “Enemies abroad will be watching closely and waiting for America to falter. Only our concrete and credible support can deter our adversaries in the future and restore security.”
CNN’s Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
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