众议院周四批准了共和党主导的对以色列的一揽子援助计划这是对迈克·约翰逊众议员发言资格的第一次重大考验。
该法案以226票对196票通过，12名民主党人投票赞成，两名共和党人投票反对。然而，它几乎没有机会成为法律，参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默已经表示他不会接受它，白宫威胁要否决它。
该法案将为以色列提供143亿美元，因为以色列在加沙地带扩大军事行动十月初史无前例的哈马斯恐怖袭击.
在一份声明中，约翰逊敦促迅速通过。他说:“在以色列为自己的生存权而战之际，这是必要和关键的援助。”。
他说:“随着国内外反犹太主义的抬头，美国必须向世界发出信息，对以色列和犹太人的威胁将遭到强烈反对。”。
可能的资金中包括40亿美元用于铁穹和大卫的吊索导弹防御系统，但没有对加沙的人道主义援助，加沙是哈马斯控制的领土，现在处于以色列袭击的中心，联合国和外部组织警告说，如果他们不能在战斗中得到更好的保护，平民将面临“危机”。
这项措施遭到了民主党人的强烈反对，因为它缺乏乌克兰资助以及通过削减同等数额的国内税收署预算来支付对以色列的援助。
共和党领导人在10月份的大部分时间里都在忙于一场激烈的领导权之争，最终约翰逊成为议长。他们在周四早些时候进入闭门会议时，预计援助法案将在众议院获得通过。
“以色列不需要停火，”约翰逊在新闻发布会上说一些民主党人呼吁这样做。"它需要其盟友停止政治活动，立即提供支持。"
“众议院共和党人计划这么做，”他继续说道。“我们将在短期内完成这项任务，并向以色列提供它所需要的援助，以保护自己免受人质威胁，铲除哈马斯，这是一项必须完成的使命。”
由于众议院的优势极其有限，共和党只能失去少量选票，因为众议院民主党领导人鼓励他们的核心小组投票反对该法案。
最终，保守派强硬派众议员托马斯·马西和马乔里·泰勒·格林投票反对该法案，正如他们所说的那样。投赞成票的12名民主党人包括几名犹太成员。
在被问及公开反对的少数共和党人时，约翰逊在投票前表示，他与他们进行了“很好的讨论”，他对该法案的可能性感到“乐观”。
2023年10月28日，众议院议长迈克·约翰逊在共和党犹太联盟年度领导人会议上发表讲话。
大卫·贝克尔/美联社
然而，其他人对一揽子计划的结构提出了异议。
“以色列需要看到双方的人民在他们需要的时候支持他们，”佛罗里达州众议员贾里德·莫斯科维茨在投票后告诉记者。
虽然莫斯科维茨投了赞成票，但他抨击约翰逊通过削减国税局的资金来“玩弄政治”，特别是在一个本可以获得广泛两党支持的问题上。
周四上午，舒默在参议院发表演讲时，同样痛斥了援助法案。
舒默说:“参议院不会考虑众议院共和党提出的这一存在严重缺陷的提案，相反，我们将共同努力制定我们自己的两党紧急援助一揽子计划，其中包括对以色列、乌克兰的援助，与中国政府的竞争以及对加沙的人道主义援助——这是非常需要的。”
白宫已经威胁说，如果这个方案落到乔·拜登总统的办公桌上，他将会阻止这个方案。
管理和预算办公室(Office of Management and Budget)周三在一份冗长的声明中写道:“该法案将打破正常的两党合作提供紧急国家安全援助的方式，以抵消为条件提供资金，将对以色列的援助政治化，并将以色列与我们的其他盟友和合作伙伴区别对待。”。
约翰逊曾表示，需要以“负责任的方式”处理对以色列的援助，并指出国家债务正在激增。
像莫斯科维茨，众议员吉姆·麦戈文，D-Mass。国会预算办公室表示，此举将在未来十年增加125亿美元的赤字。
“你今天处理立法的方式是我们国家在国际上的尴尬，”麦戈文在投票前在众议院的一次演讲中谈到共和党人时说。
约翰逊为自己的做法辩护，他告诉记者，“如果参议院或众议院或其他任何地方的民主党人想争辩说，此刻雇用更多的国税局代理人比站在以色列一边更重要，我准备好进行这场辩论。”
他说乌克兰援助将紧随其后尽管越来越多的众议院共和党人表示反对向这个饱受战争蹂躏的国家提供更多资金，以继续抵御俄罗斯的入侵。
约翰逊说，众议院共和党人将把它与边境安全措施结合起来，试图让它越过终点线。
House approves Israel aid in first major test of Johnson's speakership
The House on Thursday approveda Republican-led aid package to Israelin what was the first major test of Rep. Mike Johnson's speakership.
The bill passed 226-196, with 12 Democrats voting for it and two Republicans voting against. It faces little chance of becoming law, however, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer already saying he won't take it up and the White House threatening to veto it.
The legislation would provide $14.3 billion to Israel as it expands its military operations in Gaza following theunprecedented Hamas terror attack in early October.
In a statement, Johnson urged swift passage. "This is necessary and critical assistance as Israel fights for its right to exist," he said.
"With antisemitism on the rise both domestically and abroad, it's imperative that the U.S. sends a message to the world that threats made against Israel and the Jewish people will be met with strong opposition," he said.
Included in the potential funding is $4 billion for the Iron Dome and David's Sling missile defense systems -- but no humanitarian aid for Gaza, the Hamas-controlled territory now at the center of Israel's assault, where the U.N. and outside groups have warned of "crisis" for civilians if they are not better protected from the fighting.
The measure has drawn sharp opposition from Democrats over its lack ofUkraine fundingand its provision to pay for the Israel aid by slashing the Internal Revenue Service budget by the same amount.
Republican leaders, who were consumed for much of October by a fractious leadership contest that ended with Johnson becoming speaker, had projected confidence the aid bill would pass the House as they entered their closed-door conference meeting earlier Thursday.
"Israel doesn't need a cease-fire," Johnson said at a press conference, swiping at thecalls for that from some Democrats. "It needs its allies to cease with the politics and deliver support now."
"House Republicans plan to do that," he continued. "We're going to do it in short order and provide Israel the aid it needs to defend itself against hostages and eradicate Hamas, which is a mission that must be accomplished."
With extremely tight margins in the House, the GOP could only afford to lose a handful of votes, as House Democratic leaders had encouraged their caucus to vote against the bill.
Ultimately, conservative hard-liners Reps. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene voted against the bill, as they had said they would. The 12 Democrats who voted for it included several Jewish members.
Pressed on the few Republicans who were publicly opposed, Johnson said ahead of the vote that he had "great discussions" with them and he was "optimistic" about the bill's odds.
Others, however, took issue with how the package was structured.
"Israel needed to see people on both sides supporting them in their time of need," Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., told reporters after the vote.
While Moskowitz voted yes, he slammed Johnson for "playing politics" with the bill by including cuts to IRS funding -- especially on an issue that could have garnered broad bipartisan support.
In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday morning, Schumer likewise lambasted the aid legislation.
"The Senate will not be considering this deeply flawed proposal from the House GOP and instead we will work together on our own bipartisan emergency aid package that includes aid to Israel, Ukraine, competition with the Chinese government and humanitarian aid for Gaza -- so much needed," Schumer said.
The White House has threatened that President Joe Biden will block the package if it lands on his desk.
"This bill would break with the normal, bipartisan approach to providing emergency national security assistance by conditioning funding on offsets, politicizing aid to Israel, and treating Israel differently from our other allies and partners," the Office of Management and Budget wrote in a lengthy statement on Wednesday.
Johnson has said Israel aid needs to be handled in a "responsible manner," pointing to the exploding national debt.
Like Moskowitz, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., has specifically taken aim at Republicans cutting IRS funding as part of the package -- a move the Congressional Budget Office said would add $12.5 billion to the deficit in the next decade.
"The way you are handling legislation today is an international embarrassment for our country," McGovern said of Republicans in a speech on the House floor before the vote.
Johnson defended his approach, telling reporters, "If Democrats in the Senate or the House or anywhere else wants to argue that hiring more IRS agents is more important than standing with Israel in this moment, I'm ready to have that debate."
He saidUkraine aid would come next, though a growing number of House Republicans have expressed opposition to supplying the war-torn nation with more funding as it continues to stave off Russia's invasion.
Johnson said House Republicans will pair it with border security provisions to try to get it across the finish line.
