(NewsNation) — Newly appointed Speaker Mike Johnson introduced a $14.3 billion aid package solely for Israel, excluding any funds for Ukraine.
The bill includes $14.3 billion in cuts to funding for the Internal Revenue Service to fund foreign aid. This detail is likely to be opposed by Democrats. The cuts would impact the funds included in the Inflation Reduction Act, which is a comprehensive tax, health and climate bill signed into law last year.
The bill also differs from the White House’s strategy of linking aid for Ukraine and Israel in the same legislation, which could make it even more challenging to pass.
A vote on the bill is expected later this week, despite opposition from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Foreign Affairs Committee Head Michael McCaul.
Johnson’s decision to separate the aid packages for Israel and Ukraine has sparked a divide among key Republican figures.
McCaul has stated he prefers a unified approach, underlining the significance of combining aid efforts for both countries into one bill. On the other hand, Congressman Anthony D’Esposito, a Republican from New York, has expressed his support for delivering aid to Israel quickly and seemed willing to merge the two packages, in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill.”
“The quickest way we can get aid to our greatest ally, Israel, I think is the way that we should do it,” D’Esposito said.
D’Esposito also underscored the necessity of transparency in providing aid to Ukraine, calling for a checks and balances system.
“My criticism of providing aid to Ukraine has been that we just need to make sure we know where the money’s going,” he said.
D’Esposito represents a district with more Democrats than Republicans, which could make his reelection campaign challenging.
When asked about potential challenges stemming from Johnson’s stance on issues like a national abortion ban and election denial, he said Democrats would exploit any Republican speaker’s positions for their benefit.