House lawmakers passed the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act in a vote of 226-196, mostly along partisan lines. The bill separated the $14.3 billion in emergency aid for Israel from the Biden administration’s larger $106 billion supplemental funding request, which also included aid for Ukraine.
The legislation now heads to the Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been a vocal critic of the bill. Additionally, US President Joe Biden has also issued a veto threat for the bill should it clear both chambers of Congress.
The legislation is full of “poison pills” that benefit tax cheats, Schumer said. Schumer also criticized the bill for not including Ukraine aid or humanitarian aid for Gaza.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he is “conceptually” in the same place as Schumer. Both Senate leaders view the conflicts in Israel and Ukraine as connected, McConnell said.
The Senate will develop a package that includes aid for both Israel and Ukraine, Schumer said on Thursday.