Joe Biden May Veto Israel Aid Bill

US President Joe Biden could veto the Republican aid bill to Israel if it is approved by Congress in its current form. This was announced at the White House on the night of November 1 (Moscow time). The White House said it will continue to work with members of Congress to bring to a vote a combined aid package that includes military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

The Office of Management and Budget (reporting to the presidential administration) emphasized that the republican initiative does not correspond to the current situation in the world, since it does not include money to provide support to the residents of Gaza, as well as assistance to Ukraine and US allies in the Asia-Pacific region. “This is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region and for our national security,” the Hill quoted his spokesman as saying.

Republicans in the House of Representatives have prepared a bill in which they plan to allocate funds only to aid Israel. At the same time, the $14.3 billion indicated in the document will be covered by cutting the budget of the US Tax Service, which also does not suit the Democrats.

According to American law, the president can veto a bill that has been approved by both houses. But Congress, in turn, has the right to bypass a veto if it receives 2/3 of the votes in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but the Republicans do not have such a majority. The vote is expected to take place on November 2. Not only Democrats, but also some Republicans in the Senate spoke out against the Republican bill.

On October 20, Joe Biden asked lawmakers to allocate $105.85 billion to finance a combined package that includes spending on military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as well as to strengthen the southern border of the United States. Some Republicans in the House of Representatives, represented by Speaker Mike Johnson, opposed combining these initiatives into one bill. Therefore, they proposed a separate document on Israel.

The White House understands that the Republicans are flaunting the issue of military assistance to Israel, which is why they are warning about the right of veto, says Alexey Davydov, a senior researcher at the Center for North American Studies at IMEMO RAS. The expert explains that the situation for Biden is complicated by the fact that Israel has not only foreign policy significance for the United States, but also domestic policy. Based on this, Davydov believes, it will be more difficult for Biden to justify blocking the Republican initiative on Israel by the lack of assistance for Ukraine and Taiwan.

At the same time, Davydov emphasized that the positions of Democrats and Republicans will gradually change, as they are ready for political bargaining.