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Still, 37 “no” votes, while a break from Washington’s ironclad support for the Jewish state, fell short of the opposition bloc progressives had hoped to muster. Thirty-nine Democrats had voted “no” on Friday on the rule to allow the foreign aid package to come to the House floor, a target that progressives just missed on Saturday on the Israel bill. Fourteen of those Democrats voted on Saturday in favor of aid to Israel, while 12 Democrats who voted to allow the package on the floor on Friday then cast votes against the funding itself.
House passes $95.3B aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan
Even though groups aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee did not get involved in the race, an outside group largely funded by GOP megadonor Jeffrey Yass spent more than $500,000 to boost Patel — a fact Lee and allies hammered home in the closing days of the contest. Twenty-five Republicans voted against the fourth bill, which included measures that could lead to a ban on TikTok in the United States and that would redirect funds from seized Russian assets to help aid Ukraine. Democrats put up a big vote — 174 — in favor of this bill, which was intended to sweeten the overall package for conservatives. We love our customers, so feel free to visit during normal business hours. One amendment, by Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., adopted by voice vote, would mandate new details in the Pentagon’s annual report on China’s military power. On the left, Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., expressed concern over Israel’s conduct of the war under the Netanyahu government.
Votes on the Foreign Aid Bills
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said a final vote could occur as soon as Tuesday, which would deliver it to Biden’s desk for his signature. The first Black woman ever elected to Congress from Pennsylvania, Lee overcame significant spending from pro-Israel groups during her first primary bid in 2022 before winning the general election. Those same groups did not get involved in her race this time around, even as Israel became a much more salient issue, seeing the effort to topple her as a steep climb. “It’s essentially playing with fire,” Patel said in an interview, arguing it could boost Trump.
How the House Voted on Foreign Aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
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They said before the vote that they opposed unfettered aid to Israel that could be used in its offensive in Gaza. The opposition to the Israel aid represented a minority of Democrats, but reflected the deep resistance to unconditional aid and the divisions in the party on Gaza. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland represented a notable new “no” vote among Democrats, and other standouts included Representatives Donald S. Beyer Jr. of Virginia, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and John Garamendi of California. The $8.1 billion Indo-Pacific bill, meanwhile, would include nearly $4 billion in security assistance to Taiwan and other regional allies, along with $1.9 billion to replenish U.S. stocks that have been reduced to help Asian allies, plus $3.3 billion for submarine infrastructure and more. One amendment adopted during debate would express support for ensuring security assistance in the bill gets to the Philippines.
Israel, Gaza aid debate
Lee, who condemned Hamas and has spoken out against antisemitism, has accused the Israeli government of committing “war crimes” and called for an end to unconditional military aid to the country. On Saturday, she joined 36 Democrats and 21 Republicans in voting against an aid package to Israel, which passed overwhelmingly. Jewish leaders in Pittsburgh have expressed unease with how she has handled and discussed issues pertaining to Israel. While all Democrats voted in favor of aid to Ukraine and all but Ms. Tlaib supported funding to Taiwan, 37 left-leaning Democrats defected to vote against the Israel aid bill.
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The House passed a long-stalled foreign aid package on Saturday that gives funding to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with a majority of lawmakers backing money for American allies across the globe. The package, which now goes to the Senate, is almost certain to become law. The most heated debate came over aid to Ukraine, with Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., allowing votes on three amendments to cut funding in that package, including the proposal from his chief GOP critic. Greene, who is backing a motion to oust the speaker, gave voice during Saturday’s floor debate to the populist and isolationist strain in the GOP. Echoing one of the many grievances shared by hard-right Republicans who opposed all of the aid measures, Mr. Good said his support for “Israel’s right to defend itself remains unshakeable” but that he disagreed with a measure that would add to the nation’s debt. After the House voted, senators reached an agreement to hold two procedural votes at 1 p.m.
On the separate miscellaneous package of sanctions and other related measures, two amendments were adopted. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, countered that he received information from the Biden administration on its intent for that piece of the package, which is not specified in the text of the bill. The administration told Sherman that in addition to aiding Gazans, the money would also be distributed to assist with humanitarian crises in Haiti, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo, Armenia and Myanmar. A few critics came to the floor to discuss it however, such as Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., who took issue with the nearly $9.2 billion in humanitarian aid that he said would be delivered to Palestinians in Gaza. Well-defined in the district, Lee framed her race around fighting Donald Trump-aligned Republicans, bringing federal dollars to the district and bringing new voters into the Democratic fold. Lee, a member of the “Squad” in the House, has been critical of Israel’s handling of the war and was one of the first lawmakers to call for a cease-fire in Gaza last year.
In one key difference from the Senate-passed bill, over $9 billion in economic aid to Ukraine is structured as a loan, though the president could waive the repayment requirement unless Congress votes to block such waivers. The $95.3 billion supplemental spending measure passed under an unusual procedure in which lawmakers voted on four separate bills that were then put together into one vehicle, replacing the text of a similar Senate-passed bill that came over from that chamber two months ago. Patel, who denounced Yass and said the attacks over the donation were a distraction, framed her challenge to Lee around who offers Biden the most support. She criticized Lee for not denouncing activists and groups calling for Democratic primary voters to vote “uncommitted” in the presidential primary. At an event launching her “Jews for Summer” coalition earlier this month, Lee framed her primary as a covert Republican effort to divide a multiethnic, cross-religious support base by using splits over Israel.
“If he’s not listening to us on matters of international security, how can he be trusted with more offensive weapons? The bill would impose strict requirements on the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development to certify that none of the humanitarian aid funds are diverted to Hamas. The bill also would prevent any of the money from being transferred to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, where staffers have been accused of collaborating with Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Under the rule for floor debate, there were no amendments allowed on the Israel aid bill.
Progressive Rep. Summer Lee fended off a primary challenge from Edgewood Borough Council member Bhavini Patel, NBC News projects, in a race that served as an early test of how Democratic voters feel about the Israel-Hamas war and concerns over rising antisemitism at home. An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the political party of a group of representatives who notably voted “no” on new aid for Israel. We are here because Ohio is home and the people of Ohio we consider our friends and family.
One, by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, or a designee, would table a pending related amendment. The other would start the Senate on a path toward clearing the aid measure. Six months after President Joe Biden first asked for it, the House passed a tweaked version of his emergency aid package for key U.S. allies with strong bipartisan support, sending it back to the Senate for a final vote.
