The Republican majority of the House of Representatives, led by new Speaker Mike Johnson, has introduced a separate $14.3 billion aid plan for Israel alone, in contrast to the White House's $106 billion initiative that included aid to Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
The publication notes that this is a separate package of aid to Israel, as opposed to Biden's broader funding request, which includes aid to Ukraine and Taiwan. It also does not include humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza and Israel, which the White House had requested.
Johnson's initiative provides $14.3 billion in aid to Israel by cutting the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Joe Biden.
"The compensatory cuts are a precedent, as Congress doesn't typically cut other programs to pay for emergency spending," Bloomberg writes.
The package is one of the new speaker's first major legislative initiatives, and he told reporters he expects a vote in the House on Thursday. Last week, Johnson discussed the package with Biden.
"Separating funds for Ukraine from the more popular aid to Israel creates a risk that Congress will not be able to continue to help the country in its counteroffensive against Russia, especially if House Republicans repeat a September attempt to demand changes to US immigration law in exchange for funding for Ukraine," the article says.
