Biden rejects plan to help Israel without helping Ukraine

The President of the United States will veto the draft law on providing aid only to Israel, without the support of Ukraine, the White House said. The Senate also expresses doubts about the proposal of the House of Representatives, he writes dw.com.

US President Joe Biden

Democrats and Republicans in the US Senate have expressed doubts about the plan of Republicans in the House of Representatives to provide Israel with aid in the amount of 14,3 billion dollars at the expense of reducing the funding of the Internal Revenue Service and without simultaneously providing assistance to Ukraine. The leader of Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, speaking to journalists on Tuesday, October 31, pointed out the need to include in the draft law measures regarding four regions — Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and the US border with Mexico.

For his part, the leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, called the bill presented in the House of Representatives "a frivolous proposal." If it is passed by the lower house, it will have no chance when it goes to the Senate, he told reporters.

White House: Biden will veto

The White House said that US President Joe Biden will veto and refuse to sign the document, even if it passes a vote in both chambers and ends up on his desk. "This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East and for our own national security," Reuters quoted a representative of the White House Administration and Budget Office as saying.

Republicans in the House of Representatives are expected to approve the bill in the coming days.

The first major bill after the election of the new Speaker of the House of Representatives
House Republicans introduced their first major bill on October 30 after electing a new speaker, Republican Mike Johnson. The document envisages additional costs for providing aid only to Israel, which is fighting against the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Among other things, the document provides for the allocation of four billion dollars for the Israeli defense systems "Iron Dome" and "David's Sling", as well as 1,2 billion dollars for the development of the "Iron Beam" defense system. The total amount of assistance is 14,3 billion dollars.

At the same time, this relief package involves cuts in funding under the 2022 De-Inflation Act, which was pushed by Democrats and includes measures to regulate taxes, health care and climate protection. Meanwhile, Biden previously proposed a package totaling $106 billion that includes aid to Ukraine and Israel, as well as measures to strengthen the United States in competition with China in the Indo-Pacific region and strengthen security along the border with Mexico.

Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives (221 to 212 Democrats), while Democrats have a majority in the Senate (51 to 49). The procedure for adopting the draft law involves voting in both chambers and the president's signature.

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