House passes Israeli aid bill amid Senate opposition and veto threat

The House has passed a $14.3 billion Israeli military aid bill that would cut funding from the Internal Revenue Service, despite drawing a veto threat from President Biden and Democrats saying the legislation is dead-on-arrival in the Senate.

The bill separates Israeli aid from a larger national security supplemental request submitted by the White House and doesn't provide military aid to Ukraine.

The House voted yesterday 226-196 to pass the Israeli aid bill, with 12 Democrats breaking ranks to join 214 Republicans, while two Republicans opposed the bill alongside 194 Democrats.

The bill is seen as a first legislative test for new House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has pledged to pay for the Israeli aid by “offsetting” the cost elsewhere in government. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, however, says the bill would actually add to the federal deficit as cutting the IRS would decrease government revenue over time.

Both Democratic and Republican senators, meanwhile, say they are moving toward a bipartisan supplemental spending package that would include funding for Israel, Ukraine, security at the southern border and the U.S. submarine industrial base.