Biden would veto House GOP’s Israel aid package, White House says

President Biden would veto a package put forward by House Republicans to provide aid to Israel while cutting funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and leaving out funding for other national security priorities, the White House said Tuesday.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) picked apart the House GOP proposal in a lengthy statement of administration policy, arguing it “inserts partisanship into support for Israel” and fails to meet the moment by leaving out humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza and aid for Ukraine and allies in the Indo-Pacific.

“This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security,” the OMB said.

The White House further asserted that the GOP proposal marks a break from bipartisan precedent by seeking funding cuts as part of an emergency national security package.

“Congress has consistently worked in a bipartisan manner to provide security assistance to Israel, and this bill threatens to unnecessarily undermine that longstanding approach,” the OMB said. “Bifurcating Israel security assistance from the other priorities in the national security supplemental will have global consequences.”

Tuesday’s statement from the OMB said the administration would continue to work with lawmakers in Congress to secure an agreement on the supplemental request put forward earlier this month by the White House.

The GOP package unveiled Monday would provide $14.3 billion in aid for Israel in its battle against Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza that carried out terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, which left roughly 1,400 Israelis dead.

The proposal would cut IRS funding included in the Inflation Reduction Act, a sweeping tax, health and climate bill signed into law last year as one of Biden’s signature policy accomplishments.

The package also deviates from the White House’s strategy of linking aid for Ukraine and Israel in the same piece of legislation, which could make it even more difficult to get the bill over the finish line.

The White House last week outlined a roughly $106 billion national security supplemental funding request that included money for Israel and Ukraine, which is fighting off invading Russian forces, as well as investments in the Indo-Pacific, humanitarian aid and border security measures.

The package is one of the first pieces of legislation introduced under Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who assumed the top job last week after a brutal battle over who should succeed former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) following his ouster.

The House Rules Committee will take up the legislation Wednesday. It faces steep odds of making it to Biden’s desk, as it would need to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, where lawmakers have expressed a desire to link support for Ukraine and Israel.