WASHINGTON - The United States House of Representatives rejected a Republican-led Bill on Feb 6 that would provide US$17.6 billion (S$23 billion) to Israel, as Democrats said they wanted a vote instead on a broader measure that would also provide assistance to Ukraine, international humanitarian funding and new money for border security.

The vote was 250 to 180, falling short because it was introduced under an expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority for passage. The vote was largely along party lines, although 14 Republicans opposed the Bill and 46 Democrats supported it.

Aid for Israel – one of the largest recipients of US foreign aid – has traditionally received strong bipartisan support in Congress. But many opponents called the House legislation a political ploy by Republicans to distract from their opposition to a US$118 billion Senate Bill combining an overhaul of US immigration policy and new funding for border security with billions of dollars in emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had said the Senate Bill was “dead on arrival” in the chamber even before it was introduced. And Senate Republican leaders said on Feb 6 they did not think the measure would receive enough votes to pass.

“This accomplishes nothing and delays aid getting out to our allies and providing humanitarian relief,” said Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, urging opposition to the Israel-only Bill. “Our allies are facing existential threats and our friends and foes around the globe are watching, waiting to see how America will respond.”

Democratic President Joe Biden, who supports the Senate Bill, promised to veto the House’s Israel-only measure.

Struggle to send security assistance

The Israel Bill’s supporters insisted it was not a political stunt, saying it was important to move quickly to support the Jewish state as it responds to the deadly Oct 7 assault by militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza.

“This Bill simply provides necessary resources to our closest ally in the region and our own military,” said Republican Representative Ken Calvert, the Republican Defence Appropriations Subcommittee chairman who introduced the measure.

Israel began its offensive in Gaza after militants killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct 7.

Some Democrats also blasted the House Bill for failing to provide humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians. Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 27,585 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in the campaign, with thousands more feared buried in neighbourhoods reduced to rubble.

Members of Congress have been struggling for months to find a way to send security assistance abroad, particularly to Ukraine as it battles Russian invaders. Mr Biden has twice sent Congress requests for emergency spending Bill, most recently in October.

The Republican-majority House passed an Israel-only Bill in November, but it was never taken up in the Democratic-led Senate, as negotiators worked on Mr Biden’s request for a broader emergency security package and Republican demands that any security assistance be combined with changes in immigration policy and security at the border with Mexico.

The failed Israel House vote was the second in quick succession for Speaker Johnson’s Republican majority on Feb 6. It came immediately after the chamber voted against impeaching Mr Biden’s top border official, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. REUTERS