Mike Johnson fulfills first promise by cutting IRS.
The House of Representatives Passes Bill to Provide Military Aid to Israel
The House of Representatives made a significant move on Thursday by passing a bill that would send military aid to Israel during its conflict with Hamas. This aid will be funded by cuts to funding for the Internal Revenue Service.
The Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024 aims to provide funds to the Department of Defense to replace equipment provided to Israel as military aid. It will also fund research for new air defense systems being developed by Israel, such as the Iron Beam aerial laser program. Additionally, the bill will allocate funds to the Department of State’s programs to evacuate U.S. citizens from the region and protect U.S. diplomatic missions under new threats due to the conflict.
The bill was passed by a vote of 226 yeas to 196 nays, with most Democrats voting against it.
The House passed H.R. 6126 – Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024 by a vote of 226-196. https://t.co/XBVUTTJHet
— House Press Gallery (@HouseDailyPress) November 2, 2023
“House Republicans are bringing forward a bill to ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself as it fights to eliminate the threat from Hamas,” wrote House Majority Steve Scalise in an email to the Daily Caller News Foundation ahead of the vote.
“Israel has every right to defend itself against such heinous actions, and we must stand with them in their fight against our shared enemies for self-determination, democracy, and freedom.”
The bill was introduced by Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, along with 100 other Republican co-sponsors.
It has been strongly opposed by Senate Democrats, with Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray tweeting that ”[t]he House GOP’s bill is dead on arrival” in the upper chamber, and the Biden administration stating that President Joe Biden would veto the bill if presented to him.
Biden had previously proposed a supplemental appropriations bill worth over $100 billion to fund aid not only to Israel but also to Ukraine during its war against Russia. The bill also included funds for border security and immigration processing at the U.S. border with Mexico.
That request faced criticism from House Republicans, who indicated that the proposal would not receive support in their chamber, where they hold a majority.
A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office review estimated that the bill would increase the fiscal deficit by nearly $12.5 billion over 10 years until 2033.
The CBO noted that funds cut from the IRS are intended to support enforcement actions against delinquent taxpayers, which “would result in fewer enforcement actions over the next decade and in a reduction in revenue collections,” according to the office’s report to Congress.
“Speaker Johnson and House Republicans released a totally unserious and woefully inadequate package that omitted aid to Ukraine, omitted humanitarian assistance to Gaza, had no funding for the Indo-Pacific, and made funding for Israel conditional on hard-right, never-going-to-pass proposals. What a joke,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Will Reinart criticized Democrats for opposing the bill “as terrorists continue their barbaric attacks.”
Several House Republicans indicated to the Daily Caller News Foundation that they would not have voted for a bill providing military aid unless it was offset by corresponding spending cuts.
“We are in the worst fiscal crisis our country has ever faced,” said Republican Rep. Bob Good of Virginia. “We ought to require offsets, cuts to … the IRS expansion in order to fund [the bill]. We shouldn’t be borrowing from China, borrowing from our kids’ and grandkids’ future, to fund the Israeli funding. Even though it’s good policy, we literally don’t have the money.”
“We need to have the offsets,” Good added when pressed on whether he’d support a bill to aid Israel without offsetting cuts. This point was echoed by Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
“Funding for many of those things needs to be offset because we are running trillion-dollar deficits at this point,” Perry told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Since the president refuses to be the adult in the room … that’s going to be the House of Representatives.”
“I do not believe we should write another blank check to anyone, including ourselves, we must pay for it. And the American people must see that it’s going to cause something if we’re going to give another $14 billion to Israel,” said Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas. “If you see me in the end having to vote against Israel funding, just make sure you heard it here first, right? I support Israel. But I am not going to continue to go down this road where we bankrupt our country.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Israeli Mission to the United States did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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What were some points of contention regarding the bill to provide military aid to Israel?
Rep. Kay Granger, who emphasized the importance of finding a way to fund military aid without adding to the national debt.
Despite the opposition, the bill was ultimately passed by the House of Representatives, demonstrating the strong support for providing military aid to Israel during its conflict with Hamas. The decision to fund this aid by cuts to the Internal Revenue Service has been a point of contention, with Democrats and Senate leaders expressing their opposition to the bill.
It is clear that the issue of providing military aid to foreign countries is a complex and highly debated topic. While the support for Israel’s defense against Hamas is evident, the disagreements surrounding how to fund this aid highlight the challenges faced by lawmakers in ensuring the nation’s security while maintaining financial responsibility.
As the bill moves forward to the Senate, it is uncertain whether it will gain enough support to pass. The opposition from Senate Democrats and the Biden administration’s indication of a potential veto pose significant hurdles for the bill’s progress. The debate surrounding the funding of military aid to Israel is likely to continue as lawmakers work to find a solution that meets both national security needs and fiscal responsibilities.
Regardless of the outcome, the passage of this bill by the House of Representatives signifies a strong commitment to supporting Israel in its fight against terrorism and ensuring its ability to defend itself. It highlights the continued importance of the relationship between the United States and Israel and the shared values of self-determination, democracy, and freedom.
In conclusion, the House of Representatives passing the bill to provide military aid to Israel
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