250 to 180 votes

US House of Representatives rejects funds for Israel

The US House of Representatives has rejected a bill providing aid to Israel. The MPs justified this by stating that the aid was directed exclusively at Israel and excluded funds for Ukraine, among others.

250 politicians voted against the Republican bill, while 180 voted in favor. Criticism came from the Democrats. "This accomplishes nothing and delays aid to our allies and the provision of humanitarian assistance," said Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. It would have involved 17.6 billion dollars (around 16.4 billion euros).

Another aid package introduced
The Democratic-led Senate had already introduced an aid package on Sunday, which included funds for US border security as well as emergency aid for Ukraine, Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

Criticism of the Republicans' bill also came from the US government. "The Administration strongly opposes this plan, which does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the Ukrainian people defend themselves against Putin's aggression, does nothing to support the security of American synagogues, mosques, and vulnerable places of worship, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, most of whom are women and children," the White House said (see video above). They urged people to vote in favor of the Senate bill instead.