US Republican House Speaker has tried to screw President Biden and Democrats by advancing a ‘stand alone’ bill for aid to Israel…..
THAT is running into problems…..
Democratic loss of support….
Democrats have, for years, been frequent critics of the conservative Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. But that scrutiny has intensified since his most recent victory in 2022, when he joined forces with several far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, forming the most hardline ruling coalition in Israeli history and forging a cabinet that includes nationalist firebrands with a long record of promoting anti-Arab sentiment.
At least two of those cabinet ministers joined a recent rally of Jewish settlers calling for the Jewish takeover over Gaza — a position Netanyahu has officially opposed.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), a Jewish Democrat who’s fought for both the return of the hostages and humanitarian aid for Gaza, said he’s worried that the extremist views of those coalition ministers has already eroded American support for Israel — on and off of Capitol Hill….
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While the delicate talks continue, and the casualties pile up, Democrats are becoming more vocal in their contention that the civilian casualties are too many.
“Everyone is pained by thousands of people dying,” Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), head of the New Democrat Coalition, told reporters last week. “Nobody wants that to continue.”…
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The GOP House Speaker action….
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is facing criticism from both the right flank of his party and Ukraine hawks for the standalone Israel aid package the House plans to vote on this week.
Why it matters: With a razor-thin majority, Johnson will have to make up most GOP defections with Democratic votes – and top Democrats are beginning to take shots at the measure.
Driving the news: The right-wing House Freedom Caucus released a statement on Sunday saying it is “extremely disappointing that the Speaker is now surrendering to perceived pressure to move an even larger but now unpaid for Israel aid package.”
- Right-wingers including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Cory Mills (R-Fla.) have said they won’t vote for the bill for that reason – with others, such as Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), poi the lack of border provisions.
- Conservatives have suggested offsetting the spending with funds meant for the U.N.’s Palestinian refugee agency after a dozen staffers were accused of involvement in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
State of play: The $17.6 billion Israel aid bill Johnson rolled out on Saturday excludes cuts to the IRS that he tucked into an Israel aid bill last fall in an attempt to offset the spending and placate conservatives.
- Johnson kept all but two Republicans together when the bill was voted on in November, but won over just a dozen Democrats due to their frustration over the IRS offset.
- In jettisoning the IRS piece, Johnson is attempting to deal a blow to Senate negotiations on a comprehensive national security package that would also include funding for Ukraine, Palestinian civilians, the Indo-Pacific and border security.
The intrigue: It’s not just right-wing hardliners Johnson has to worry about this time – House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said in a CBS “Face the Nation” interview on Sunday he is “very concerned” about moving forward on Israel aid alone.
- “I think that we really have four significant national security threats: We have Asia, we have Ukraine, we have Israel and … of course, we have our border,”…….