U.S. SENATE (VINnews) — A group of conservative Republican senators have proposed a bill to send much-needed funding to Israel.
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What makes this legislation unique, compared with President Biden’s proposal to fund Israel, is that this funding would be unconditional–and not linked to Ukraine funding.
GOP Senators Roger Marshall, Ted Cruz, JD Vance and Mike Lee introduced the standalone bill to send aid to Israel on Thursday.
“My colleagues and I firmly believe that any aid to Israel should not be used as leverage to send tens of billions of dollars to Ukraine,” Marshall told The Wall Street Journal.
The Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act is an alternative to Biden’s $106 billion emergency supplemental bill he requested last week.
The Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act would provide $14.3 billion to Israel, including $10.6 billion for assistance through the Department of Defense, $3.5 billion for foreign military financing and $200 million to help protect U.S. embassies.
It would bolster Israel’s defense capabilities, specifically focusing on enhancing systems like the Iron Dome and Iron Beam, in addition to other proposals.
The main purpose is to “un-link” the money for Israel from the money for Ukraine, which is emerging as a divisive issue within the GOP.
Legislation by Democrats and Biden want funding for Ukraine and Israel to be “attached at the hip”. Ukraine has already received over $120 billion from the U.S.
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has urged his colleagues to keep military funding for Israel and Ukraine tied together as well.