White House says House GOP rejection of bipartisan Senate bill helps Russia, Iran

The White House on Tuesday urged House Republicans to reverse course and take up a bipartisan funding measure providing aid to Ukraine, Israel and other allies that passed the Senate in an early morning vote.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates wrote a memo titled “The House should side with American national security and NATO — not Putin and Tehran” after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejected the Senate legislation.

“Today, the Senate just voted to move forward on many of the most pressing needs of the American people. The onus is now on the House to do the same,” Bates said in the memo. “This is a high stakes moment for American families. It’s also a high stakes moment for House Republicans, because the choice is stark.”

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The Senate passed the bill to give $60 billion to Ukraine with 70 votes, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) pressured Johnson on Tuesday to bring the bill up for a vote in the lower chamber. 

The package also includes $14 billion for Israel, $5 billion to help allies in the Indo-Pacific region counter China’s growing influence and $9 billion in humanitarian aid for victims of strife around the globe, including those in Gaza.

“Will House Republicans side with President Biden and Senators on both sides of the aisle in supporting American national security? Or will House Republicans, in the name of politics, side with Vladimir Putin and the regime in Tehran?” Bates asked. “The House GOP cannot lose sight of this binary choice. It would be devastating to undercut American national security by voting against our interests and values.”

Johnson says the Senate bill lacks the tougher border security measures the House Republicans have demanded, a notion that Schumer rejected Tuesday.  

Earlier Tuesday, President Biden applauded the Senate for passing the foreign aid package and also urged the House “to move on this with urgency.”

“If we do not stand against tyrants who seek to conquer or carve up their neighbors’ territory, the consequences for America’s national security will be significant. Our allies and adversaries alike will take note. It is time for the House to take action and send this bipartisan legislation to my desk immediately so that I can sign it into law,” Biden said in a statement.