(UnitedVoice.com) – The fight over foreign aid is still raging in Congress. Senate Republicans killed an Israel and Ukraine aid bill that had the tough border security measures in it that they demanded. Over in the House, more than a dozen Republicans joined their Democratic colleagues in an effort to kill another bill.
On February 6, the House of Representatives voted against legislation that would provide $17.6 billion in aid to Israel. The US government has still not sent supplemental aid to its biggest ally in the Middle East in the wake of the terrorist attack by Hamas that killed nearly 1,200 people, including several Americans. Fourteen Republicans joined the Democratic Party to kill the bill.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) fast-tracked the vote by suspending House rules. That meant the legislation needed a two-thirds majority to clear the chamber. Ultimately, the bill failed after only 250 lawmakers voted in favor of it, and 180 voted against it. Among those who voted against it were 166 Democrats and 14 Conservatives.
Members of the Freedom Caucus were against the legislation because it didn’t have any cuts to offset the spending. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told Fox News he wasn’t able to send money to Israel when “our borders are wide open.” He said even for someone like himself who loves Israel, he couldn’t do that to his constituents.
Even if the 14 Republicans hadn’t helped Democrats kill the bill, the White House said President Joe Biden would veto it. Officials referred to it as a “cynical political maneuver” in response to the bipartisan negotiations in the Senate for a border funding and aid package.
That bipartisan bill came to fruition, but Republicans in the Senate killed it on February 7. Now, both chambers and the White House are back to square one as migrants pour over the border and America’s allies beg for help.
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