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Iran’s attack on Israel has increased pressure on the US Congress to approve further military aid for Israel, with Republicans saying they will call a vote in the House of Representatives in the coming days.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged the Republican-led House to pass a bipartisan Senate bill providing $95 billion in aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have blocked funding because of their opposition to continued U.S. support for Kiev in its war with Russia.
“They should get him on the floor as soon as possible,” Kirby told NBC. “Last night certainly significantly highlights the threat that Israel faces in a very, very difficult neighborhood.
“The votes are there. We are just looking for leadership outside the President’s office.”
In a statement, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the bill “will provide critical resources to Israel and our own military forces in the region,” “overdue lethal assistance to Ukraine, and equip vulnerable allies and partners in Asia to deter” China and “make urgent investments in our defense industrial base”.
For months, House Speaker Mike Johnson refused to bring the Senate bill to a vote despite opposition from Trump, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. But Iran’s attack on Israel and Russia’s advance into Ukraine could push Congress to pass a large foreign aid package soon.
Johnson said on Fox that he and Trump are “100% united on these big issues on the agenda,” saying the former president and Republican presidential candidate “introduced” a loan-to-lease concept to support the Ukraine with conditions. The President also said the United States should seize “the assets of corrupt Russian oligarchs to help pay for this resistance.”
“So House Republicans and the Republican Party understand the need to stand with Israel. We will try again this week and the details of the package will be put together right now,” Johnson said.
The issue of funding for Ukraine has been a sticking point as domestic U.S. support for Kiev, especially among Republicans, has faded as the war has dragged on.
Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CBS that he needs to “educate” his Republican colleagues that threats against Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan are “all tied together” – and urged House leadership Chamber to bring a bill to the floor. .
Mike Turner, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC that he expects the House to pass the legislation, noting that Russia has begun to “gain ground” in its war against Ukraine.
“I think he will have enormous support. . . not just because of what happened with Iran which escalated the conflict in the Middle East, but because these are allies who need and deserve our support,” Turner said.
One of the leaders of the Republican resistance against further funding for Ukraine, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, told CNN that the Senate should pass a House bill that would only help Israel, saying: “I think Israel is much more more important to the United States than Ukraine is.”
“It’s still not about money, it’s about guns,” Vance said. “If you don’t produce enough weapons to fight three wars, you have to figure out how to focus – and my proposal is that we focus on ourselves and our closest allies.”
Biden has faced pressure from some parts of the Democratic Party to condition or suspend aid to Israel as outrage grew over the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza caused by Israeli retaliation against Hamas.
But administration officials fear what kind of message this could send to Iran as tensions between Tehran and Israel have flared.
The White House said Biden had a phone call Sunday afternoon with congressional leaders to urge passage of the bill as soon as possible.