Speaker Johnson announces House will vote on measures for Ukraine aid, Israel aid, and more



House Speaker Mike Johnson has announced a plan for the congressional chamber to vote on measures that would provide U.S. aid for countries such as Israel and Ukraine.

Johnson said there will be votes on the "measures separately in four different pieces" that will cover assistance for Israel, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, and issues pertaining to "national security priorities."

GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she believes this is the "wrong direction."

"Our border is the number one policy issue that voters care about all across the country," she said.

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Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida also emphasized the issue of U.S. border security, calling it "atrocious" for D.C. to remain focused on Ukraine while ignoring America's southern border.

"Closing the Southern Border is nowhere to be found," GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado tweeted in response to a post on the @SpeakerJohnson X account regarding the speaker's plan for votes on the various measures.

The post on Johnson's account indicated that "this week, we will consider separate bills" that would "fund our ally Israel," "support Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression," "strengthen our allies in the Indo-Pacific," and "pass additional measures to counter our adversaries and strengthen our national security."

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The House Freedom Caucus had issued a statement on Monday expressing support for the prospect of Israel aid while declaring that it would not "abide using the emergency situation in Israel as a bogus justification to ram through Ukraine aid with no offset and no security for our own wide-open borders."

The U.S. national debt currently stands at more than $34.5 trillion.

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Biden Doesn’t Need Congress To Get ‘Urgent’ Aid To Ukraine, So Why Is He Blaming Republicans?

Biden already has the authority to send roughly the same amount of aid he is demanding from Congress in the 'emergency' supplemental bill.

Speaker Johnson Says No Ukraine Aid Without Border Funding After Meeting Zelenskyy

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Biden and Senate Democrats set to kill Republican aid package to Israel



House Republicans passed a bill Thursday that would ensure Israel has the means to combat and ultimately defeat the terrorist organization that slaughtered thousands of civilians last month, including at least 33 Americans. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has indicated that he and his fellow Democrats in the Senate will kill the aid package and instead condition support for Israel on other foreign expenditures.

Fresh off announcing a campaign to fight so-called Islamophobia, President Biden has also vowed to veto the aid package.

In 2022, Biden ratified Democratic climate and tax legislation that allocated $80 billion to the IRS over a 10-year period. Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) introduced a bill this week that would take some of the money previously intended to strengthen American taxmen and instead provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel amid its war with Hamas.

The "Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act" passed Thursday largely along party lines in a 226-196 vote — a major success for the new House speaker from Louisiana who championed the legislation.

Republican Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) voted against the bill. While most Democrats voted in concert with anti-Israel progressives like Rep. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), 12 ultimately supported the legislation.

NBC News reported that some Democrats cited the IRS cuts as their reason for not supporting the act.

"Tonight, a bipartisan group of members voted to send immediate aid to Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East. Our supplemental package, which is fully offset, provides Israel with advanced weapons systems, supports the Iron Dome missile defense system, and replenishes American domestic defense stockpiles," said House Speaker Mike Johnson. "This is necessary and critical assistance as Israel fights for its right to exist."

"With anti-Semitism 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," added Johnson.

The House speaker called on the Senate and the White House not to dawdle; however, Democrats in both have indicated that additional expenditures must be tacked on for there to be any movement on renewed support for Israel.

After once again attacking Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville over his principled protest of Pentagon abortion policy, Schumer said on the Senate floor, "The Senate will not take up the House GOP's deeply flawed proposal."

"It still mystifies me that a moment when the world is in crisis, at a time when we need to help Israel respond to Hamas, the House GOP thought it was a good idea to tie Israel aid to a hard-right proposal that will raise the deficit," continued the New York Democrat. "Why would they make support for Israel conditioned on this hard-right giveaway to the wealthy?"

Instead, Schumer indicated that Senate Democrats will condition support for Israel on aid to Ukraine, humanitarian aid to Gaza, and "competition with the Chinese government."

Where Ukraine is concerned, Johnson has indicated that more funding may be on the way, although legislation to that end might also entail means to address the unprecedented crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, reported the New York Times.

"It's just a matter of principle that, if we're going to take care of a border in Ukraine, we need to take care of America's border as well," said Johnson.

It may be premature to discuss separate aid packages, as President Joe Biden — like Senate lawmakers, Democratic and Republican alike — appears keen on an all-or-nothing approach.

Biden has vowed to veto the Israel aid package. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed Thursday, "The president would veto an Israel-only bill. I think we have made that clear."

The White House wants a $106 billion aid package along the lines Schumer vaguely described, including aid for Palestinians and investments in the Indo-Pacific.

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Rashida Tlaib accuses Israel of 'ethnic cleansing in Gaza'



Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan issued a statement on Thursday in which she accused Israel of perpetrating "ethnic cleansing in Gaza."

"As the Israeli government carries out ethnic cleansing in Gaza, President Biden is cheering on Netanyahu, whose own citizens are protesting his refusal to support a ceasefire," Tlaib said in her statement.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an Israel aid measure on Thursday, with most Republicans and a dozen Democrats voting for passage. Two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, voted against the measure, which would provide billions in aid to the Jewish state while slashing funding for the IRS.

"Soaring inflation and high interest rates are due to overspending. We can’t afford more foreign aid. I voted against the billions for Ukraine, and I am voting against $14+ billion of foreign aid for Israel tonight," Massie tweeted.

Greene shared a video in which she discussed her vote against the supplemental while noting that she is a staunch supporter of Israel.

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Greene had put forward a resolution to censure Tlaib last week, but Democrats and more than 20 Republicans voted to table it on Wednesday.

Tlaib, like the bulk of House Democrats, voted against the Israel supplemental appropriations measure on Thursday.

"U.S. funding for the Israeli military with no humanitarian conditions will take us father away from ending the violence and reaching peace. Achieving a just and lasting peace requires lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the dehumanizing system of apartheid. Not only do some of my colleagues want to send more weapons to carry out war crimes and violations of international law, but they want to do it by providing tax breaks to billionaires and undermining crucial investments in our communities," Tlaib said in her statement.

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Biden delivers Oval Office address to push for Ukraine, Israel aid



During an address from the Oval Office on Thursday night, President Joe Biden said that he will send the nation's legislature a request to provide support to Ukraine and Israel.

The announcement comes as Ukraine battles against a Russian invasion and Israel wages war in response to heinous Hamas terror attacks. The president suggested that ensuring Israel and Ukraine's success "is vital for America's national security."

Reports indicate that the package will include billions in aid related to Ukraine and Israel, as well as billions in funding related to the U.S. border, humanitarian issues, and the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan.

President Biden Addresses the Nation from the Oval Office www.youtube.com

Biden's push to assist the two war-torn countries comes as the U.S. national debt continues climbing exponentially and inflation persistently erodes the purchasing power of Americans' paychecks.

Many lawmakers are opposed to tying aid for Ukraine and Israel together in a single package.

"These are two separate conflicts and it would be wrong to leverage support of aid to Israel in attempt to get additional aid for Ukraine across the finish line," a group of Republican senators wrote in an October 19 letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio was one of the lawmakers who signed onto the letter. "What Biden is doing is disgusting. He's using dead children in Israel to sell his disastrous Ukraine policy to skeptical Americans. They are not the same countries, they are not the same problems, and this effort to use Israel for political cover is offensive. Hell no," Vance declared in a post on X.

The House of Representatives is currently paralyzed without a speaker, so the chamber will be able to consider Biden's proposal until the speaker situation is resolved.

A group of GOP lawmakers is pushing a proposal to shift any funding available for assistance to Gaza to instead be used to support Israel's Iron Dome air defense system.

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Biden slammed by some Republicans after announcing $100 million in aid for Gaza and the West Bank



During his trip to Israel, President Joe Biden announced $100 million in aid for Gaza and the West Bank.

A post on the @POTUS X account claims that there will be "mechanisms in place so this aid reaches those in need — not Hamas or terrorist groups."

But multiple Republican politicians have suggested that the aid will end up in the hands of terrorists.

"Aid to the Gaza Strip is what Biden is prioritizing today? This aid will of course be commandeered by Hamas. No taxpayer dollars should be sent to Gaza. Stop funding jihad!" tweeted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently running in the GOP presidential primary.

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"Under present circumstances, 'humanitarian assistance' = resupply for Hamas terrorists. President Biden continues to embolden Iran and its terror proxies," GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas asserted.

"Not a single dollar of U.S. aid should go to Hamas-controlled Gaza until all hostages, including AMERICANS, are safely released," Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fl.) said in a tweet.

"Biden announced $100 million in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. He might as well have announced $100 million in aid to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad," Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee declared in a post on X.

Some Democrats have expressed support for the president's move to supply the aid.

"I applaud and support President Biden’s decision to provide significant humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank. Any legitimate response to the Hamas violence must strive to avoid civilian harm and civilian targets," Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois declared in a tweet.

Earlier this month, Hamas invaded Israel and perpetrated shocking atrocities, including the murder of children and the taking of hostages. Militants in Gaza have been firing rockets toward cities across the Jewish state, according to the Associated Press, and Israel has been carrying out airstrikes against the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country "will obliterate Hamas"

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Stopgap government funding measure reportedly includes around $12 billion related to Ukraine



As Americans struggle under the heavy financial burden caused by soaring inflation, Congress could soon approve around $12 billion in additional aid pertaining to embattled nation of Ukraine.

The Associated Press, citing an unidentified individual familiar with the measure, reported that more than $12 billion in aid pertaining to Ukraine will be inserted into the stopgap spending legislation that would fund the U.S. government into the month of December.

The Biden administration's request for the spending measure included $11.7 billion for security and economic assistance related to Ukraine, according to the AP. The outlet reported that in order to avert a partial government shutdown both houses of Congress would need to approve legislation by the the end of Friday, which marks the conclusion of the fiscal year.

Reuters, citing unidentified sources, reported that congressional negotiators had agreed to insert almost $12 billion of fresh military and economic aid for the nation of Ukraine into the measure. The outlet said that Biden had requested that the legislature supply $11.7 billion in new aid for Ukraine in the bill.

Ukraine has been seeking to defend itself against a brutal Russian invasion.

But Americans have been facing the devastating financial consequences caused by sky-high inflation. According consumer price index data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "The all items index increased 8.3 percent for the 12 months ending August, a smaller figure than the 8.5- percent increase for the period ending July."

Last month, the Biden administration announced a plan to cancel massive amounts of federal student loan debt, a move that some have warned will worsen America's inflation problem. The plan calls for cancelling $10,000 of student debt for individuals earning less than $125,000 per year, or less than $250,000 for married couples — people earning below those income thresholds who received Pell Grants would be eligible for $20,000 of loan cancellation.

"Sad to see what’s being done to bribe the voters. Biden's student loan forgiveness plan may win Democrats some votes, but it fuels inflation, foots taxpayers with other people’s financial obligations, is unfair to those who paid their own way & creates irresponsible expectations," GOP Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah tweeted last month.

\u201cSad to see what\u2019s being done to bribe the voters. Biden's student loan forgiveness plan may win Democrats some votes, but it fuels inflation, foots taxpayers with other people\u2019s financial obligations, is unfair to those who paid their own way & creates irresponsible expectations.\u201d
— Senator Mitt Romney (@Senator Mitt Romney) 1661357692