Biden urges House to approve Israel, Ukraine aid after months of stalling Senate-passed bill

• Published date: 14 April 2024
• Author: HANNAH SARISOHN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

On the call, Biden discussed the urgent need to pass the national supplemental as soon as possible on a call Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY)

The only aid package for Israel that will get to President Joe Biden's desk is the Senate-passed supplemental bill which includes military aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel and also humanitarian aid for Gaza, Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said Sunday morning on MSNBC.

Meeks reiterated Biden's stance that US defensive support for Israel is "ironclad."

On Saturday night as US forces intercepted Iranian missiles and UAVs targeting Israel, House Republican leader Rep. Steve Scalise (LA) said this week's legislative schedule will be changed to bring forward legislation to support Israel.

Details of this coming week's legislative changes have yet to be announced as of Sunday morning.

In early November, the Republican-led House passed a plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel and cut funding to the ternal Revenue Service.

But because it combined aid for Israel with a cut to the Internal Revenue Service and left out aid for Ukraine, President Joe Biden promised a veto and Senator Chuck Schumer, majority leader of the Democratic-controlled Senate, said he would not bring it up for a vote.

Senate supplemental bill

In February, the Democratic-led Senate passed its supplemental bill which would give $60.06 billion in aid for Ukraine, $14.1 billion to Israel, $2.44 billion for operations in the Red Sea and almost $4.82 for partners in the Indo-Pacific to deter aggression by China.

The Senate bill would also provide $9.15 billion in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine and other populations in conflict zones around the globe.

"The Administration strongly encourages both chambers of the Congress to reject this political ploy and instead quickly send the bipartisan Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act to the President's desk," the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a statement in February.

Former President Donald Trump is the leading...