A bipartisan House bill, spearheaded by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), that would deal with border security and give military assistance to Ukraine and Israel is “a nonstarter” for House Democrats, says House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
“President [Joe] Biden made clear during the State of the Union address that we have to make sure we are surging humanitarian assistance into theaters of war across the world,” said Mr. Jeffries during his weekly press conference on March 8.
“And there’s not a dime of humanitarian assistance in the legislation that has been introduced by Rep. Fitzpatrick, so that’s a nonstarter for the House Democratic Caucus,” he added.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Mr. Fitzpatrick’s office for comment.
In his State of the Union speech before a joint session of Congress on Friday, President Biden called for a six-week ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in order to allow for the release of hostages held in Gaza by the terrorist group and for humanitarian assistance to get into the geographical strip.
President Biden announced the United States will construct a port outside Gaza so that humanitarian aid can flow into the Hamas-controlled area. The United States has airdropped humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
A group of House Republicans unveiled a bipartisan $66.32 billion bill on Feb. 16 that includes border security measures and military assistance to Ukraine and Israel.
No foreign economic assistance is in the measure, which was put forth by Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Ed Case (R-Hawaii), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.).
Most of the funding for Ukraine would be for the U.S. military to help the Eastern European country, Mr. Bacon told reporters on Feb. 16.
In the virtual meeting with reporters, Mr. Bacon defended the Ukraine part, though he acknowledged “there'll be some who want zero aid to Ukraine.”
“You can’t just stand by when [Vladimir] Putin invades a neighbor like this,” he added. “And it’s been a barbaric invasion. They’re killing innocent people. They’re kidnapping children.”
Illegal Immigration
Moreover, the measure would require immigration officers to deny entry to the United States for illegal immigrants and instead immediately send them to Mexico or their country of residence, birth, or origin. Those who are claiming they would be tortured or executed if they return to their home country would be admitted unless they were part of the persecution of someone else, if they were a threat to U.S. citizens, if they may have committed a serious crime outside the United States, or if there is a reason they pose a threat to U.S. national security.
The legislation would also not allow federal funding for the transfer of illegal immigrants between facilities unless it’s for determining whether they can remain in the United States.
The bill was unveiled after the Senate overwhelmingly passed a $95 billion bill to give assistance to Israel, Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific, in addition to humanitarian aid to Gaza, after having failed to proceed with a $118 billion bill that would have done that plus enact border security measures that Republicans said were inadequate.
