US President Joe Biden has threatened to veto a proposed standalone aid package for Israel, the White House announced on Monday. The House Republican bill would provide $17.6 billion in aid to Israel, but would reject a bipartisan Senate border deal that lawmakers have been working on for months which includes funding for Ukraine and the US-Mexico border.
“The Administration spent months working with a bipartisan group of Senators to reach a national security agreement that secures the border and provides support for the people of Ukraine and Israel, while also providing much-needed humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by conflicts around the world,” the White House wrote in a statement.
“Instead of working in good faith to address the most pressing national security challenges, this bill is another cynical political maneuver.”
On Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that Republicans would offer their Israel-only funding bill ( H.R. 7217) as a rejection to a larger bipartisan bill that was unveiled over the weekend. The bipartisan bill proposed $118.3 billion in spending, including: $20 billion for border security, $60 billion in funding for Ukraine, and $14.1 billion for Israel.
“The Administration strongly opposes this ploy which does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin’s aggression, fails to support the security of American synagogues, mosques, and vulnerable places of worship, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children,” the Biden administration said.
Representative Ken Calvert (R-CA), who spearheaded the legislation is H.R. 7217, reportedly said he was “disheartened” by the Biden administration’s announcement.
“I believe there is broad, bipartisan support for standing with Israel and supporting them in their campaign to protect its civilians from those responsible for the October 7th attack,” the representative wrote.
“I am disappointed by the President’s veto statement but I am hopeful that, for the sake of the American and Israeli hostages, the safety of our troops in the region and for our ally Israel, he will have a change of heart when the bipartisan bill comes to his desk.”
"The president’s veto threat is an act of betrayal," Johnson added on Monday evening.
Biden’s popularity among young voters has plummeted since the conflict between Israel and Palestine first began. Nearly three quarters of voters between the ages of 18 and 29-years-old disapprove of US support for Israel.
And more recently, a poll revealed that half of US adults believe Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has “gone too far”. That same poll shows that just 31% of US adults approve of Biden’s handling of the conflict, which has claimed the lives of nearly 27,500 Palestinians.