White House Declares Biden’s Intention to Veto Solely Israel-Focused Funding Legislation
Some Republicans have criticized the president for using Israel as a bargaining chip to get additional aid for Ukraine.
The White House said on Nov. 2 that President Joe Biden will veto any bill that provides funding for Israel only, after House Republicans advanced a package offering $14.3 billion in aid to Israel.
“The President would veto an only-Israel bill. I think we made that clear,” National Security spokesperson John Kirby said during a White House press briefing.
Mr. Kirby defended the president’s decision, highlighting four crucial national security priorities in the supplemental request: Israel, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, and border security.
“The president wants to see all of them honored, all of them acted on by Congress, all of them together. We wouldn’t have submitted it that way if we didn’t believe that they were all important,” Mr. Kirby added.
Some Republicans, however, have criticized President Biden for using Israel as a bargaining chip to get additional money for Ukraine.
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The House bill does not include any humanitarian aid for Gaza; instead, it only includes security assistance for Israel.
That’s a non-starter for the White House, according to Mr. Kirby.
“That’s nothing more than partisan politics,” he said.
The legislation allocates money for various purposes, including defense maintenance, procurement of army ammunition, naval weapons, air force missiles, and missile defense systems like the Iron Dome and David’s Sling. Additionally, it includes funds for research and development of Israel’s defense systems and State Department operations in Israel.
However, the bill is expected to face opposition in the Senate.
Reaction to IRS offset
The White House earlier reacted to the Republican proposal to offset the cost of aid to Israel by cutting IRS funding.
OMB warned that the bill “inserts partisanship into support for Israel, making our ally a pawn in our politics, at a moment we must stand together,” and said it neglects humanitarian assistance for Palestinians.
The agency also said that by stripping IRS funding,
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