The Republican-led House plans to pass legislation this week to provide Israel with military and humanitarian assistance amid its war with Hamas, the chairman of the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee said Sunday.
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas confirmed on “Fox News Sunday” that House Republicans will look to approve the money as a standalone measure, even as Senate Republicans and Democrats push to pair the aid with assistance for Ukraine, Taiwan and the U.S. southern border, as President Biden has requested.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on “Sunday Morning Futures” that Israel aid must be separated because it’s a more “pressing and urgent need.”
“There are lots of things going on around the world that we have to address, and we will,” the Louisiana Republican said on the Fox News show. “But now what’s happening in Israel takes the immediate attention, and we’ve got to separate that and get it through.”
House Republicans believe military assistance for Israel, a close U.S. ally, should be decoupled from other funding.
Passing Israel aid separate from other foreign assistance will be easier to swiftly approve in a narrowly divided Congress, lawmakers from both parties say, but could jeopardize the much larger military and economic aid package for Ukraine as it tries to fight off a Russian invasion force.
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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