House Freedom Caucus expresses deep disappointment with Speaker Johnson’s decision to introduce a separate bill for Israel aid
The House Freedom Caucus Criticizes Stand-Alone Israel Aid Bill
The House Freedom Caucus issued a stern reprimand over House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) stand-alone Israel aid bill, releasing a letter on Sunday titled, “Support Israel Without Bankrupting America.”
The conservative bloc compared the weekend bill with the “fully paid-for” November bill Johnson passed in support of Israel, his “most principled action taken to date.” But now, according to the House Freedom Caucus, the U.S. will be forced to borrow money to help its ally, adding to the U.S.’s national deficit.
“It is extremely disappointing that the Speaker is now surrendering to perceived pressure to move an even larger but now unpaid for Israel package — reversing course on his stance to require new supplemental spending to be offset,” the group wrote in its letter.
Johnson announced the bill on Saturday, with a vote likely to come in the next few days. The bill is meant to counteract the Senate’s bipartisan Ukraine-border package, released Sunday evening, which House Republicans have criticized, preferring instead to vote on sending resources to the U.S.-Mexico border, Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan separately.
However, Johnson’s Israel legislation does not include spending cuts, much to the ire of the House Freedom Caucus, which frequently emphasizes the need to cut down on spending.
“… America should not, and does not have to, borrow to support Israel,” the caucus said, adding that “it is particularly troubling” that “we are simultaneously taxing and borrowing to finance Hamas, as well as funding all of Joe Biden’s policies endangering the American people such as his unprecedented border crisis.”
The group suggested that the money for Israel could come from cutting funding for the United Nations, repealing the expansion of the IRS, removing the Department of Commerce’s “slush fund,” and getting rid of “leftist climate change tax credits.”
In announcing the omission of any spending cuts in the stand-alone bill, Johnson condemned Democrats for “refus[ing] to consider that offset to support Israel (even though they agreed to additional cuts to the IRS to pay for their domestic priorities in the final appropriations topline).” He also said the Senate bill would be “dead on arrival.”
While Johnson won all the votes of Republicans when he was elected to the speaker’s chair last October, he has found problems similar to those of his predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. In working across the aisle on several occasions, Johnson has received the frustration of several hard-line Republicans, such as those within the House Freedom Caucus who want to see changes in the government’s spending.
“Conservatives should not be forced to choose between borrowing money to support our special friend Israel or honoring our commitment to end unpaid supplemental spending that exacerbate our nation’s unsustainable fiscal crisis and further risks our ability to respond to future crises,” the caucus concluded in its letter.
Why did the House Freedom Caucus criticize Speaker Johnson’s proposed aid package for Israel?
Ine, and Israel separately.
The House Freedom Caucus argued that funding for Israel should not come at the expense of the United States’ fiscal responsibility. They emphasized the need for fiscal discipline and criticized Speaker Johnson for caving in to perceived pressure.
The conservatives praised Johnson’s previous support for Israel through a fully paid-for bill in November, which they considered a principled action. However, they expressed disappointment in his change of stance to now propose an even larger aid package without proper funding. The group pointed out that this would require the U.S. government to borrow money, contributing to the already mounting national deficit.
Speaker Johnson’s stand-alone bill aims to provide aid to Israel separately from the Senate’s bipartisan Ukraine-border package. House Republicans have been vocal in their opposition to the latter, advocating instead for separate votes on resources for different regions.
The House Freedom Caucus’s letter serves as a reminder of the importance of fiscal responsibility in determining aid packages. While support for allies like Israel is crucial, it should not come at the expense of the country’s financial stability. The group calls for strategic planning and offsetting expenditures to ensure a responsible use of taxpayer money.
The upcoming vote on the stand-alone Israel aid bill is expected to test the unity and priorities of Congress. It remains to be seen how the proposed funding will be received and what approach will be taken in addressing the concerns raised by the House Freedom Caucus.
As the United States navigates its foreign aid policies, weighing the importance of supporting allies against the need to address domestic challenges, this debate over the Israel aid bill highlights the complexities of managing national resources and the delicate balance of priorities.
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