'Vote them out': Internet weighs in after House rejects $17.6B standalone bill for Israel military aid

WASHINGTON, DC: The House of Representatives encountered a significant showdown on Tuesday, February 6, as it grappled with a standalone bill seeking to allocate $17.6 billion in military aid for Israel.

The move, perceived by the White House as a "political ploy," met with a resounding rejection, casting a shadow over ongoing negotiations for a broader legislative package.

The latter, entwined with military assistance for Ukraine, humanitarian aid for Palestinian territories, and funds earmarked for US border security, currently languishes in the upper chamber.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, spearheaded the effort to bring the clean Israel funding bill to the floor, leveraging a procedural requirement demanding a two-thirds vote for passage.

However, the bill stumbled, unable to gather enough support in a 250-180 vote, with an unexpected combination of bipartisan opposition.

Democratic claims the bill is not brought in "good faith"

House Democratic leaders, preemptively signaling their stance through a "Dear Colleague" letter circulated before the vote, derided the standalone bill as a "nakedly obvious and cynical attempt by MAGA extremists to undermine the possibility of a comprehensive, bipartisan funding package."

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with Representatives Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, issued a sharp rebuke, emphasizing their readiness to endorse genuine bipartisan efforts but denouncing the standalone legislation as lacking in good faith.

“We are prepared to support any serious, bipartisan effort in connection with the special relationship between the United States and Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East,” they wrote.

“Unfortunately, the standalone legislation introduced by House Republicans over the weekend, at the eleventh hour without notice or consultation, is not being offered in good faith," they added. 

“Here at home, the time has come for House Republicans to end the political stunts and come together in support of a comprehensive approach to our national security priorities,” they further said. 

Echoing this sentiment, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a scathing rebuke of Johnson's initiative. “Instead of working in good faith to address the most pressing national security challenges, this bill is another cynical political maneuver,” the statement said.

“The Administration strongly opposes this ploy which does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against Putin’s aggression, fails to support the security of American synagogues, mosques, and vulnerable places of worship, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom are women and children,” it added.

Conservative expresses concern over the lack of offsetting spending cuts in the bill

On the other hand, the conservative House Freedom Caucus voiced its opposition to the bill, citing concerns over its absence of offsetting spending cuts.

The legislative stance echoes a prior attempt in November, aiming to allocate $14.3 billion for Israel's conflict with Hamas while cutting funds designated for the Internal Revenue Service as part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act—a measure that ultimately failed in the Senate.

“It is extremely disappointing that the Speaker is now surrendering to perceived pressure to move an even larger but now unpaid for Israel aid package – reversing course on his stance to require new supplemental spending to be offset,” the Caucus said in a statement Sunday.

“Conservatives should not be forced to choose between borrowing money to support our special friend Israel or honoring our commitment to end unpaid supplemental spending that exacerbates our nation’s unsustainable fiscal crisis and further risks our ability to respond to future crises.” 

Despite receiving support from 46 Democrats and 204 Republicans, the standalone bill fell short of the requisite 280 affirmative votes for passage.

Internet weighs in on the rejection of the standalone bill

Social media was inundated with reactions following the rejection of the standalone bill.

"Vote them out," one posted on X.

"Womp womp. But since we now know that money exists, let’s spend it on Medicare For All or universal higher education or universal housing or any number of things that would help Americans that we’re told we don’t have the money for," another insisted.

"Stop putting our money into wars. Stop sending money to other countries when our own are suffering. Stop letting politicians vote to keep a war going while investing in weapons companies," someone else chimed in.

As we look forward, the fate of the bipartisan Senate bill remains uncertain. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed skepticism about its chances, stating on Tuesday, "It appears to me, and to most of our members, that we have little chance of enacting a law here."

Former President Donald Trump and House GOP leadership have also been vocal critics, with the former labeling the bill as a “great gift to the Democrats," the New York Post reported.