Several Republican senators want to break apart President Joe Biden’s $106 billion foreign aid package to put funding for Israel in the fast lane.
According to The New York Times, the overall package includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, with about half of that for weapons and ammunition; $14.3 billion for Israel, almost all for weapons and ammunition; $9.15 billion for what’s called humanitarian aid that is supposed to help Palestinian, Israeli and Ukrainian civilians in ways not broken down in the package; and $7.4 billion for costs related to building a strong military presence in the Pacific and helping Taiwan.
The package also includes $13.6 billion for “border security” but money for border wall construction.
“My colleagues and I firmly believe that any aid to Israel should not be used as leverage to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine,” Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Marshall is working with Republican Sens. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas to split off the aid to Israel, which has said it will launch a ground war to root out and destroy the terrorist group Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks that left 1,400 people dead in the Jewish state.
Marshall, Vance and Lee have opposed aid to Ukraine; Cruz has supported it.
“Russia still needs to be defeated. Taiwan still needs to be defended,” Cruz said. “This bill is about one thing and one thing only: getting our Israeli allies the aid they need, as fast as possible.”
Congressional passage requires some Republican support in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed. Counting independents who caucus with the Democrats, Democrats have a 51-49 Senate majority, meaning nine Republican votes would be needed to block any filibuster that could stall passage.
Passage is also needed in the House, where Republicans have a slim majority.
Ukraine and Israel aid should not be tied together.
Shame on Joe Biden.
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) October 23, 2023
The bill drafted by Marshall and his allies comes out to about the same bottom line for Israel as Biden’s proposal but splits it off from the wider package, which in its border security segment includes reimbursements to groups providing shelter for illegal immigrants.
“Proud to spearhead this effort with @RogerMarshallMD to separate Israel aid from Biden’s $104 billion open borders boondoggle. It is a slap in the face to our allies and our voters to combine Israel aid with Ukraine aid and money to “resettle” illegal immigrants,” Vance posted on X.
Proud to spearhead this effort with @RogerMarshallMD to separate Israel aid from Biden’s $104 billion open borders boondoggle.
It is a slap in the face to our allies and our voters to combine Israel aid with Ukraine aid and money to “resettle” illegal immigrants.…
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) October 26, 2023
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that Senate Republicans will not rubber-stamp Biden’s aid package, but he also isn’t against a combined approach, according to ABC News.
Saying America faces a “worldwide problem that needs to be dealt with entirely, not in piecemeal,” McConnell said aid to address security issues “needs to be comprehensive.”
“I think it needs to deal with all of these because they are all interrelated,” he said.
But others disagree.
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