Republicans Divided Over Biden’s Proposal to Merge Aid for Israel and Ukraine

A growing number of Republican lawmakers are expressing opposition to President Joe Biden’s proposal to include new defense assistance for Israel in a larger $105 billion spending package. President Biden’s supplemental defense spending plan includes approximately $14 billion to strengthen Israel’s security following a widespread attack by Hamas gunmen in southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of numerous civilians. The president’s spending proposal also links this aid to Israel with a request for an additional $61 billion in military support for Ukraine.

The call to bolster Israel’s defenses has received bipartisan support, given the loss of civilian lives caused by the Hamas attack. Nevertheless, Republicans are becoming increasingly divided over continuing efforts to support the Ukrainian military in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

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“We shouldn’t combine them? They should be separate; two different issues altogether,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) told NTD News on Thursday. “Obviously, with Israel, they’re our greatest ally in the region. They are our closest friend in the world. So no, they need to take care of them first, get that out of the way. With respect to Ukraine, members have serious issues about what’s the scope? What’s the plan? What’s the President’s view on how long we’re going to be doing this?”

Similarly, Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) supports Israel and Ukraine as separate matters, especially considering the significant support the United States has already provided to Ukraine. “I think they’re two totally different wars, two totally different budgets,” said Van Duyne, speaking to NTD News. She also expressed interest in understanding how the funds allocated to Ukraine have been used.

Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) indicated that he is not necessarily against supporting both Israel and Ukraine, but he believes that each country’s conflict requires distinct considerations. “I think if we’re being asked to continue funding support for Ukraine—and by the way, we have to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine—there needs to be a level of scrutiny and an assertion that we have a common goal and mission that the President and Congress are embracing,” Molinaro told NTD News.

Some Republicans Open to Bundling Israel and Ukraine Aid

Not all Republicans oppose new funding for Ukraine or have concerns about linking it to the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. Rep. Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) believes that both the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict require attention from the United States, and she sees no issue with combining them. “Whether we do them separately or combined, we’ve got to help both situations,” she stated. Salazar emphasized that abandoning Ukraine would send a dangerous message to Vladimir Putin and could escalate the conflicts into larger regional wars.

In an interview with CBS News, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stated that separating aid for Israel from Ukraine would be a “mistake.” He expressed the view that these issues are interconnected, disagreeing with Republicans who believe Ukraine is different from Israel.