The House of Representatives approved a Republican-led aid package for Israel on Thursday, marking the first major test of Rep. Mike Johnson’s term.
The bill passed by a vote of 226 to 196, with 12 Democrats voting in favor and two Republicans voting against. However, there is little chance of it becoming law since Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has already said he will not adopt it and the White House has threatened to veto it.
The bill would provide $14.3 billion to Israel as it expands its military operations in Gaza following Hamas’s unprecedented terror attack in early October.
In a statement, Johnson called for a quick passage. “This is necessary and crucial assistance as Israel fights for its right to exist,” he said.
“As anti-Semitism rises at home and abroad, it is imperative that the United States send the message to the world that threats against Israel and the Jewish people are met with strong resistance,” he said.
The potential funding includes $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defense systems – but no humanitarian aid to Gaza, the Hamas-controlled territory now at the center of Israel’s onslaught and facing the United Nations and outside groups have warned. “Crisis” for civilians if they are not better protected from the fighting.
The measure faced strong opposition from Democrats because it provided no funding to Ukraine and proposed funding aid to Israel by cutting the Internal Revenue Service budget by the same amount.
Republican leaders, torn for much of October by a heated leadership contest that ended with Johnson becoming speaker, expressed confidence that the relief bill would pass the House as they arrived at their closed conference session early Thursday.
“Israel does not need a ceasefire,” Johnson said at a news conference, ignoring calls from some Democrats. “It needs its allies to stop politics and provide support now.”
“House Republicans plan to do this,” he continued. “We will do so shortly and give Israel the help it needs to defend itself against hostages and root out Hamas, a mission that must be accomplished.”
With the House majority extremely slim, the GOP could only afford to lose a handful of votes as House Democratic leaders had encouraged their caucus to vote against the bill.
Ultimately, conservative hardliners Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene voted against the bill, as announced. The 12 Democrats who voted for it included several Jewish members.
Pressing on the few Republicans who publicly opposed it, Johnson said before the vote that he had had “great conversations” with them and was “optimistic” about the bill’s chances.
House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition on Oct. 28, 2023 in Las Vegas.David Becker/AP
However, others had concerns about the structure of the package.
“Israel needed people on both sides to support them in times of need,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, told reporters after the vote.
While Moskowitz voted “yes,” he criticized Johnson for “playing politics” with the bill by including cuts to IRS funding — particularly on an issue that could have garnered broad bipartisan support.
In a speech on the Senate floor Thursday morning, Schumer also criticized the relief bill.
“The Senate will not consider this deeply flawed proposal from House Republicans and instead we will work together on our own bipartisan emergency relief package that includes aid to Israel and Ukraine, competition with the Chinese government and humanitarian aid to Gaza – that much.” required,” Schumer said.
The White House has threatened that President Joe Biden will block the package if it lands on his desk.
“This bill would break with the normal, bipartisan approach to providing emergency national security assistance by making funding conditional on offsets, politicizing aid to Israel, and treating Israel differently than our other allies and partners,” the Office of Management and Budget in a detailed statement on Wednesday.
Johnson said Israeli aid must be handled “responsibly,” citing the exploding national debt.
Like Moskowitz, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., has specifically wanted Republicans to cut IRS funding as part of the package – a move that the Congressional Budget Office says will reduce the deficit by 12,000 percent over the next decade. would increase $5 billion.
“The way you are handling legislation today is an international embarrassment to our country,” McGovern said in a speech on the House floor before the Republican vote.
Johnson defended his approach, telling reporters: “If Democrats in the Senate, House or elsewhere want to argue that hiring more IRS agents is more important at this moment than standing with Israel, I’m ready to have that debate.” respectively.”
He said aid to Ukraine would be next, although a growing number of House Republicans have expressed opposition to providing more funding to the war-torn country as it continues to fend off Russian invasion.
Johnson said House Republicans would combine it with border security provisions to try to get it over the finish line.
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.