Speaker Mike Johnson got a big reality check from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who took to the Senate floor to reject Johnson’s attempt to ransom Israeli aid for tax cuts for billionaires.
Schumer said:
Bipartisan cooperation will be the only way anything ends up on the president’s desk. So I am deeply disturbed that House Republicans yesterday released a partisan and woefully inadequate package with no aid to Ukraine, no humanitarian aid to Gaza, no Indo-Pacific, and on top of that, poison pills that increase the deficit and help wealthy tax fraudsters . prevent them from paying their fair share.
The Republican Party’s bill in the House of Representatives is woefully inadequate and the fingerprints of the hard right are everywhere. It makes Aid to Israel, which just suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history, dependent on poison pills that reward rich tax fraud.
In short, it makes it much, much harder to pass Aid for Israel. It is insulting that the far right is openly trying to exploit Israel’s crisis to reward the ultra-rich. The new speaker knows very well that if you want to help Israel, you cannot propose legislation that is full of poison pills.
And this kind of unnecessarily partisan legislation sends the wrong message to our allies and adversaries around the world. It’s almost as if the real purpose of this Republican House package is not to help Israel, but to get tax cuts for the super-rich, while leaving out aid to Ukraine, humanitarian aid to Gaza, and funding for the Indo-Pacific .
Video:
Chuck Schumer on MAGA Mike’s first attempt at a big boy bill on aid to Israel: βIt makes it much, much harder to pass Aid to Israel. It is insulting that the far right is openly trying to exploit the crisis in Israel to reward the ultra-rich.β pic.twitter.com/bhZVoAxage
β Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 31, 2023
Schumer went on to say that he believed the bill was intended to divide Congress and provide tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. The Senate majority leader made clear that the Republican bill was not seen as a serious effort to provide urgently needed aid to Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.
Speaker Johnson looks like he is in way over his head as he is not in the same league as Biden and Schumer. House Republicans thought Speaker Johnson would be their savior. Instead, he takes them on the path to their political downfall.
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Jason is the editor-in-chief. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Pricing and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association