Senate Democrats Block GOP Attempt to Force Vote on House Israel Aid Bill

The Senate side of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington on Oct. 16, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Republican senators failed to force immediate consideration of a standalone aid package for Israel that passed the House on Nov. 2.

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) led the Nov. 14 debate calling for unanimous consent to bypass the Senate’s arcane rules and vote on the $14.3 billion measure in support of Israel, which does not include aid for Ukraine and other security needs requested by President Joe Biden.

The call for an immediate vote was rejected by Democrats, as GOP senators acknowledged that it would be. But Mr. Marshall and his allies achieved their real objective by calling attention to the stalled bill and making the case that it should be considered separately from other security needs, including aid to Ukraine.

The President’s Request

President Biden asked Congress to provide $106 billion in supplemental funding for a variety of national security needs on Oct. 20.

Those included $30 billion to supply Ukraine with weapons and replenish U.S. stockpiles, plus $14.4 billion to support military intelligence in Ukraine and $481 million to assist Ukrainian war refugees arriving in the United States.

The president also asked for $14.3 billion in aid to Israel: $10.6 billion for air and missile defense and $3.7 billion for support of the U.S. embassy and for foreign military financing.

The request included $13.6 billion for U.S. border security, which was to include the hiring of 1,300 additional border agents, 1,600 new asylum officers, 375 new judge teams, and $1.2 billion to counter the smuggling of fentanyl into the country.

The request earmarked $10 billion for humanitarian aid for Israel, Ukraine, Gaza, and to help with refugees entering the United States.

House Republicans have been increasingly skeptical of continued aid for Ukraine without greater accountability on how the money is being used, and have refused to vote for multiple funding requests in a single bill.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) separated the request for aid to Israel and presented it to the House as a single item, along with a plan to pay for the aid by clawing back money designated for the hiring of additional IRS agents.

Israel Now, Ukraine Later

Debate on Mr. Marshall’s request took place for more than an hour with passionate pleas made from both sides.

Republicans argued that Israel’s need in the war against the Hamas terrorist group was urgent and should be acted on immediately with requests for Ukraine and the other items requested by the president considered one at a time. They accused Democrats of using aid for Isreal, which enjoys widespread support, to leverage other spending priorities that are less popular.

“Our hesitation to provide bipartisan funding to our staunch ally Israel empowers Hamas and gives Iran and its proxies a green light to kill Americans,” Mr. Marshall argued. “I'd like to urge everyone to take this measure and adopt it immediately.”

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) called the comparison of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the German invasion of Poland in 1939 a false equivalency. He argued that World War I is a more apt comparison to the present day.

“Competing major powers threw the entire world into conflict because we didn’t make smart decisions. We didn’t de-escalate conflict when we had the opportunity,” he said. “Our policy in 2023 has to be different than our policy in the 1940s because the circumstances are different.”

Sen. J. D. Vance (R-Ohio) testifies at a U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works hearing  Washington on Mar. 9, 2023. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) argued that the Senate should debate spending items individually, which is what most Americans expect it to do. “Let’s have the real debate on the president’s Ukraine policy instead of holding Israel hostage,” Mr. Schmitt said. “There is nothing more shameful than taking an existential crisis, 1000s of dead Israeli civilians, and using them as a fig leaf for a Ukraine policy.”

Support All Allies

Democrats countered that fragmenting aid given to the country’s allies would signal that America can’t be counted on. They also argued that Ukraine is having success on the battlefield and will prevail if not abandoned.

“We cannot send the message to our allies or to the world that America only stands by some of its allies, that our word is only good some of the time,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said.

Ms. Murray, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said work was underway on a comprehensive aid bill including both countries. “If my colleagues are serious about making sure we act quickly, I urge them to support us in that effort,” she said.

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) urged support for both Israel and Ukraine and noted that the United States has already made a large commitment to Israel.

“The United States has provided Israel with over $12.4 billion in military assistance and missile defense funding over the last three years,” Mr. Reed said. “And in response to the attacks of Oct. 7, President Biden has moved two aircraft carrier strike groups into the region. He ordered Marines into the region. U.S. forces have already engaged and shot down missiles and adversaries in the region.”

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said that Ukraine was winning the war against Russia and would prevail with continued support.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks during a news conference following  at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 31, 2023. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

“If we stop providing them with resources, if we stop providing them with the intelligence that we provided them, they’re going to lose this war,” Mr. Bennet said, before quoting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said, “We will win this war if you stick with us. We will lose this war if you abandon us.”

Action Expected

The debate was mostly symbolic, since the objection of a single senator would prevent an immediate vote on the House-approved aid bill. Ms. Murray objected.

However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) later said the Senate would focus on passing a bill that included all four of the president’s requests. Passage has been delayed by Republicans’ insistence that the bill also include additional provisions for U.S. border security, according to Mr. Schumer.

“We have Democrats and Republicans working together to try and come up with a border security package that will have bipartisan support,” Mr. Schumer said. “And as soon as we come back after Thanksgiving, it will be a very high priority to get all four of them done [with] bipartisan support.”