US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PANEL RECOMMENDS $17.6 BILLION IN MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL

Sun 04 February 2024:

The funding bill, offered by a House appropriations panel, could come to a vote in the full House sometime next week, Speaker Mike Johnson said in a letter to members.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives had previously approved $14.3 billion in new military aid to Israel amid its war on Gaza, but with the requirement that it be paid for by clawing back a chunk of money already targeted for the US Internal Revenue Service.

The billions of dollars in aid will help replenish Israel’s missile defence systems, manufacturing artillery and other munitions, and acquiring advanced weapons systems.

Some of these funds will also be used to restock US arms provided to Israel in the wake of the deadly October 7 Hamas attack, which resulted in the killings of over a thousand Israelis.

According to US House Speaker Mike Johnson, the funding bill, presented by the House Appropriations panel, is likely to undergo a vote in the full House next week. Under a 10-year plan initiated in 2016, Israel currently gets an annual $3.8 billion in US military assistance.

Last November, months after the deadly attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, the House passed a Republican plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel by cutting the funds to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

However, the Democratic-controlled Senate blocked the bill at the time. Now the new bill, as per Reuters, will provide aid to Israel and additional military assistance to Ukraine. Moreover, the Senate is also considering incorporating aid to Taiwan as part of its comprehensive legislation.

The upcoming Senate bill is also expected to encompass proposals to tackle the issue of US-Mexico border security, which is closely tied to immigration concerns.

Notably, the US-Mexico border has long been a focal point of election discussions, with a range of issues. This also holds importance in light of the upcoming presidential elections in the United States. The debate on the comprehensive bill will commence next week, with an initial procedural vote scheduled for no later than Wednesday, as per Reuters.

Speaker Mike Johnson emphasising upon the urgency of lending support to Israel said, “The need to support our closest ally and our own forces in the region has never been more pressing.”

The House and Senate must pass the bill in order for US to provide aid to Israel and Ukraine. The bill will then be sent to US President Joe Biden for final approval.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

WhatsApp CHANNEL
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAtNxX8fewmiFmN7N22