Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has caught his neck out in help of Israel greater than many different Democrats for the reason that October 7 Hamas terrorist assaults.
However that does not imply the Pennsylvania Democrat is breaking along with his get together on a $17.6 billion Israel assist invoice that Home Republicans are teeing up for a vote on Tuesday night.
“It is simply low-cost thrills,” Fetterman stated of the Israel invoice in a short interview with BI on the Capitol on Tuesday. “They’re simply attempting to duck their accountability for serving to us safe the border.”
“It is simply pointless,” Fetterman added. “It is low-cost and meaningless.”
The Home GOP invoice gives roughly the identical sum of money for Israel as a broader nationwide safety invoice that additionally consists of Ukraine assist and adjustments to US border safety and immigration legislation.
But Republicans have rejected the border safety provisions as inadequate, and Home Republicans have stated they may refuse to carry a vote on the invoice if it passes the Senate.
As a substitute, Home Speaker Mike Johnson is placing the Israel invoice ahead in an try and undermine the premise of the nationwide safety package deal — that overseas assist to Ukraine and Israel, in addition to humanitarian assist for Palestinians in Gaza, ought to be thought-about collectively.
The speculation of the case is that Democrats specifically would face strain to move the Israel assist by the Senate with out attaching it to Ukraine assist, which is politically poisonous for a lot of Republicans.
Johnson tried this as soon as earlier than, passing a greater than $14 billion Israel assist invoice in November that included equal cuts to the Inner Income Service. That invoice, nearly unanimously opposed by Democrats, has not been taken up by the Senate.
This time, the Israel assist is just not offset by any cuts, which has pushed some opposition on the exhausting proper however theoretically places Democrats in a bind.
But Democrats have largely united in opposition to the invoice, persevering with to insist that Israel assist be delivered together with the opposite nationwide safety priorities. Home Democratic management has urged rank-and-file lawmakers to vote in opposition to it, Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer has indicated he will not take it up, and President Joe Biden threatened on Monday to veto it.
In the meantime, some senators have begun discussing the thought of passing the Ukraine and Israel assist parts of the invoice with out the controversial border safety provisions.
Fetterman stated that “could be way more engaging” than the stand-alone Israel invoice.
