GOP sets political trap for Democrats with Israel bill
by Mychael Schnell and Mike Lillis - 11/01/23 6:00 AM ET
House Democrats will face a tough vote this week when Republicans, led by newly minted Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), consider a $14.3 billion Israel aid bill that includes cuts to IRS funding to pay for the package but no assistance to Ukraine.
The vote is sure to highlight the long-standing chasm between Israel’s staunchest Democratic allies, including President Biden, and pro-Palestinian liberals who have accused Israeli leaders of human rights abuses and war crimes in Gaza. Illustrating that divide, 15 Democrats last week declined to endorse a nonbinding resolution proclaiming U.S. support for Tel Aviv following Hamas’s deadly attacks last month.
But Republicans’ inclusion of the IRS cuts adds an additional complication, forcing the bulk of Democrats into the no-win scenario of sacrificing one priority in defense of another.
The bill is not expected to move beyond the House — leadership is eyeing a Thursday vote — but Republicans are already signaling their intent to hold Democrats to account if they oppose it.
“I understand their priority is to bulk up the IRS,” Johnson told Fox News this week. “But I think, if you put this to the American people, and they weigh the two needs, I think they’re going to say standing with Israel and protecting the innocent over there is in our national interest and is a more immediate need than IRS agents.”
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https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4286340-gop-sets-political-trap-for-democrats-with-israel-bill/
