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 Israel aid for tax cuts for billionaires.
Schumer said:
Bipartisan cooperation will be the only way anything gets to the president’s desk. So I’m deeply troubled that yesterday, House Republicans released a partisan and woefully inadequate package with no aid to Ukraine, no humanitarian assistance for Gaza, no Indo-Pacific, and in addition, poison pills that increase the deficit and help wealthy tax cheats avoid paying their fair share.
The House GOP bill is woefully inadequate and has the hard right’s fingerprints all over it. It makes Aid for Israel, who has just faced the worst terrorist attack in its history, contingent on poison pills that reward rich tax cheats.
In short, it makes it much, much harder to pass Aid for Israel. It’s insulting that the hard right is openly trying to exploit the crisis in Israel to try and reward the ultra-rich. The new speaker knows perfectly well that if you want to help Israel, you can’t 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 goal of this House GOP package is not to help Israel, but to get tax relief for the super-wealthy, while leaving out Ukraine aid, leaving out humanitarian aid for Gaza, and funding for the Indo-Pacific.
Video:
Chuck Schumer on MAGA Mike’s first attempt at a big boy bill on aid for Israel, “It makes it much, much harder to pass Aid for Israel. It’s insulting that the hard right is openly trying to exploit the crisis in Israel to try and reward the ultra rich.” pic.twitter.com/bhZVoAxage
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 31, 2023
Schumer went on to say that in his view, the bill was intended to divide Congress and try to get tax cuts for the ultra-rich. The Senate Majority Leader made it clear that the Republican bill was not viewed as a serious attempt 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 was going to be their savior. Instead, he is taking them down the path to their political demise.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a 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.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
