Staff Reports
So, the House of Representatives tried to do a solid for our pals over in Israel and provide some much-needed military assistance, but shocker – they couldn’t get their act together. In a vote that had 250 lawmakers in favor and 180 against, they couldn’t reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass the bill. Can someone say dysfunction?
#BREAKING House fails to pass stand-alone Israel aid bill in another blow to Johnsonhttps://t.co/hxImfoJd52
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) February 7, 2024
But wait, there’s more! This wasn’t even the first failure of the day for House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose attempt to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also fell flat. Looks like it wasn’t Johnson’s lucky day.
The bill, championed by Rep. Ken Calvert from California, was aiming to send a hefty $17.6 billion to Israel. But hold on to your hats, folks, because it faced opposition from all directions. President Joe Biden even threatened to veto it! So much drama – it’s like a reality TV show, but worse.
The House Freedom Caucus, never one to miss a chance to throw a wrench in the works, said they’d oppose the bill unless it included spending cuts elsewhere. Can you believe the nerve? They suggested hacking away at funding for the United Nations, giving the IRS a trim, and axing some climate change tax credits.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the House Democratic leadership swooped in to rain on the parade. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Johnson of playing politics and refused to give his blessing. House Democrats were split, with some saying Israel doesn’t actually need the aid right now. But on the flip side, Rep. Jerry Nadler, a bigwig among the Jewish members, threw his support behind the bill.
Not to be outdone, the House Democratic “Squad” entered the chat to make their grievances known. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the lone Palestinian American in Congress, didn’t hold back and called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a genocidal maniac” – yikes! Things are really heating up in the Capitol.
So, where does that leave us? Well, it’s back to the drawing board for the House Republicans. Johnson is already plotting his next move to bring the bill back to the table, this time hoping a simple majority will do the trick.
And to top it all off, this isn’t even the first time the House tried to help out Israel, only to end up with egg on their face. Last year, they passed a similar bill that went absolutely nowhere. Can someone tell these folks to get it together?
