GOP Senators Propose Bill Splitting Off Israel Aid From Ukraine Funding
Measure shows tensions in Congress over Biden administration’s $106 billion package
WASHINGTON—A group of Republican senators introduced a stand-alone bill that would send billions of dollars in aid to Israel but not Ukraine, underscoring the challenges facing a much larger $106 billion Biden administration proposal that includes more funding for Kyiv.
The group of GOP senators argues that separating the Israel aid would prevent the assistance from being bogged down in the House, where the number of Republicans opposed to funding Ukraine aid is growing, and now makes up more than half the GOP conference.
“My colleagues and I firmly believe that any aid to Israel should not be used as leverage to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R., Kan.), who is sponsoring the measure with Republican Sens. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas.
The White House has proposed an emergency package that ties together funding for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and U.S. border security, an approach seen as boosting the chances for passage of the assistance to Kyiv, which has split Republicans. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and other Senate Republicans allied with Ukraine have said they are generally supportive of the administration’s approach, but they are demanding changes, with an emphasis on substantive policies to tighten U.S. border security.
Marshall, Vance and Lee have opposed Ukraine aid in the past, while Cruz has supported it.
“Russia still needs to be defeated. Taiwan still needs to be defended,” Cruz said. “This bill is about one thing and one thing only: getting our Israeli allies the aid they need, as fast as possible.”
The standalone bill’s prospects, at least in the Democratic-controlled Senate, are dim, but it could exacerbate divisions among Republicans as McConnell tries to rally his caucus around the larger package and negotiate concessions on border policy from the administration. Any bill would need 60 votes to advance in the chamber, where Democrats have a 51-49 majority.
There is broad bipartisan support in Congress for aid to Israel, following the deadly attack by Hamas earlier this month. While Democrats back additional funding for Ukraine, some Republicans are skeptical of new aid, while others would prefer to finance weaponry instead of humanitarian aid or direct economic assistance to the Ukrainian government.
The House elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R., La.) as speaker on Wednesday, restarting work in the chamber after three weeks at a standstill. Lawmakers quickly passed a resolution saying the U.S. stands with Israel against Hamas.
Johnson was among 117 House Republicans who voted against $300 million in security assistance for Ukraine in September.
The GOP senators’ Israel bill, called the Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023, would provide $14.3 billion in aid. That includes $10.6 billion in military assistance to Israel through the Defense Department, including Iron Dome and Iron Beam systems, and funds to restock U.S. weapons sent to Israel, $3.5 billion in grants for foreign military sales, and $200 million to help shore up security for U.S. embassies and personnel in Israel and evacuate U.S. citizens in the region.
The proposed funding level for Israel is similar to the $14 billion requested for Israel by the Biden administration. But the administration put that money in a broader package that also included $61 billion for Ukraine, about $9 billion for humanitarian assistance to both conflict theaters, about $2 billion for security assistance in the Indo-Pacific and $14 billion for the border, which would pay for more-efficient processing of migrants seeking asylum, more border-patrol agents and asylum officers, and reimbursements to cities and private organizations that have set up shelters.
Congress has approved more than $100 billion for Ukraine since Russia invaded in early 2022.