The House will vote next week on a clean standalone bill providing aid for Israel, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced in a letter on Saturday, representing an about-face for the speaker as the Senate prepares to unveil its own long-awaited border deal and foreign aid package. Johnson put a $14.3 billion Israel aid package on the floor last year that included partisan IRS funding cuts that Democrats opposed. Now, the speaker is planning to move a $17.6 billion Israel bill with no offsets, upping pressure on Democrats to support it. In his “Dear Colleague” letter to lawmakers, Johnson attacked senators for excluding him and the House from bipartisan negotiations over a border security deal, which is expected to be paired with aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. “During debate in the House and in numerous subsequent statements, Democrats made clear that their primary objection to the original House bill was with its offsets,” Johnson wrote.

Source: CNN February 03, 2024 20:01 UTC