House Republicans are planning to submit a bill on Thursday providing aid to Israel, the GOP leadership announced during a conference call Sunday night, Politico reported. It will be a stand-alone pro-Israel bill worth $14.5 billion in aid, which the Republican leaders say is “fully paid for.”
The new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, told Fox News Sean Hannity that he wants to separate aid to Israel from aid to Ukraine, which may suggest Israel would receive money that would be denied the Ukraine.
The amount, which is close to NIS 60 billion, would cover a hefty chunk of Israel’s war-related deficit which has been estimated at NIS 80 billion ($19.7 billion).
Politico cited GOP officials who said The House leadership also plans legislation targeting Iranian oil sales, which will reinstate sanctions the Biden White House has removed.
On Saturday, GOP presidential candidates, including, for the first time, former President Donald Trump, appeared before the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, NV, and one by one reassured Jewish voters and donors that Israel’s plight in the Middle East would be the cornerstone of their foreign policy if elected.
On that occasion, Speaker Johnson, who is not running but is two heartbeats from the presidency, told the assembled US Jews in Vegas: “We are going to stand like a rock with our friend and our ally Israel. As a Christian, I know, and we believe, the Bible teaches very clearly that we’re to stand with Israel.”
Just keep thumping that Bible, Mr. Speaker!
Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, whose agenda includes letting Israel fend for itself financially (for its own good), suggested he would not be inclined as president to provide military support to Israelis as the war escalated.
But, fiscal policy aside, Ramaswamy declared almost giddily: “I personally hope for a successful in-and-out operation, and would love nothing more than for the IDF to put the heads of the top 100 Hamas leaders on stakes and line them up on the Israel-Gaza border as a sign that October 7, 2023, will never happen again, and then use all of its saved resources to rebuild its border defenses for the future.”
Almost poetic.
Several speakers at the RJC event on Saturday attacked progressive Democrats, most notably Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib – with loud boos from the audience. Trump suggested that as president he would send home any foreign college student who demonstrated against Israel.
