The US House of Representatives adopted a draft aid to Israel without mentioning Ukraine
The US House of Representatives approved a separate bill to allocate aid to Israel in the amount of about $14.3 billion without mentioning Ukraine. The Republican-controlled Legislature pushed for separate funding requests but failed to gain support in both the Senate and the White House. A rift is brewing between lawmakers in the two houses, and the president has threatened to veto the bill if it passes.
At the vote, 226 congressmen spoke in favor of the document, and 196 were against it. Next, it should be submitted for consideration to the upper house of Congress.
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Republicans insist on splitting aid to Israel and Ukraine
On October 26, it became known that Republicans had introduced a bill on the division of aid to Israel and Ukraine, which would allow billions of dollars to be transferred to Tel Aviv instead of Kyiv.
The next day, the new Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, called for splitting the request for $105 billion to Israel and Ukraine, and also demanded that the White House report on the funds spent on Kyiv.
On October 30, he clarified that a separate bill on funding for Israel would be introduced in the US House of Representatives, since this is an urgent and pressing need.
On November 2, Mike Johnson announced that the Ukraine aid bill would be passed next after the US House of Representatives voted on a separate aid measure for Israel. He noted that the bill to support Kyiv will be combined with a project to ensure border security.
Biden threatened to veto the project if Ukraine was not mentioned in it
US President Joe Biden has threatened to veto a bill on aid to Israel if it does not mention Ukraine if it is passed by the House of Representatives. This was stated by the coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, John Kirby.
The President will veto the aid bill for Israel only. I think we’ve made that clear
Information about the American leader’s intentions to veto the bill was also confirmed by the White House Budget Office. They emphasized that requests for assistance to Israel and Ukraine cannot be separated, and Republicans are politicizing an issue that should be considered on a bipartisan basis.
Separating aid to Israel from other national security priorities in the request would have global consequences
Earlier, the Biden administration criticized House Republicans over their response to a request for assistance to Ukraine and Israel.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre accused congressmen of politicizing the issue. She emphasized that the allocation of funds to both countries relates to the national security of the United States.
It also became known that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon head Lloyd Austin, US President Joe Biden’s top foreign policy aides, will take part in public hearings in the US Senate on the allocation of 105 billion in aid to maintain the defense capabilities of Ukraine and Israel. The hearings will be one of the first public indicators of whether the American leader will be able to win Congressional support for his political strategy on Ukraine, which involves asking for $61 billion, noted columnists for The Washington Post.
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The US Senate refused to consider a project to help Israel without Ukraine
Democratic Majority Leader in the US Senate Chuck Schumer said that the upper house of Congress refuses to consider the Republican-proposed bill to help Israel without mentioning Ukraine.
The Senate will not consider this deeply flawed House GOP proposal. Instead, we will work on our own bipartisan relief project that includes support for Israel, Ukraine, funds to compete with China, and much-needed humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
Earlier, American Vice President Kamala Harris said that the White House was putting pressure on Republicans, insisting that the US Congress approve the allocation of funds for both Israel and Ukraine.
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