Republican members of the Senate aired their frustrations with the Democrat-controlled upper chamber after funding for Israel was blocked by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
President Joe Biden (D) and the Democratic coalition want to put funding for Israel, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific allies in one spending package, while Republicans want to vote on the issues separately.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer referred to the $14.3 billion package for Israel as "a joke."
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) recanted, saying he doesn't "think there's anything funny" about this situation.
“Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill to strengthen America’s support for Israel while cutting wasteful government spending. I’m disappointed that President Biden – first thing out of the chute – threatened to veto the bill, and Senator Schumer went so far as to call it a joke. $14.3 billion for Israel while it’s under perhaps an existential threat by Iran and its proxies, and the Majority Leader of the United States Senate calls that $14.3 billion a joke?” said Sen. Cornyn.
The Texas senator continued, “I don’t think there’s anything funny about the strong desire that most of us have to support our ally while protecting the long-term financial health of our country.”
Additionally, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) blasted the Senate for blocking the aid as well.
In his press release, Scott did not mince words against President Joe Biden (D) and the Democratic coalition for blocking the bill, saying he was "sick and tired of Democrats, Biden, and Washington’s ruling class continuing to use crisis after crisis to push massive spending packages for issues that have no business being voted on together."
"There’s absolutely no reason to delay aid to Israel as a bargaining chip. It is shameful that this is what the Democrat Party has turned into," Scott concluded.
Moreover, the House version of the Israel funding package passed with 12 Democrats – including Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) – supporting the bill.
She stated that she had a lot of problems with the bill and that she “worked to rid this bill of the poison it contained,” but as a Jew, she needed to vote for the legislation.
“The safety and security of Israel is paramount, especially in her time of crisis. I was appalled at the gross politicization of this critical funding and an unprecedented conditioning of emergency aid to Israel by Speaker Johnson. All week, I worked to rid this bill of the poison it contained, including offering an amendment that would have ensured a clean bill, but they were rejected by Republicans,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz.
She even encouraged her colleagues to vote against the bill because it did not include the proposal provided by President Joe Biden.
However, the vote for Wasserman Schultz was “personal.”
“I urged many of my colleagues to vote against this bill because of the horrendous precedent it set and the urgent need to pass the full emergency supplemental proposed by President Biden. For me, as a Jew, as a Zionist and as the representative of a large Jewish community, I personally needed to cast my vote to stand by Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people, in this moment of crisis,” said Wasserman Schultz.
She concluded, “I will continue to work closely with the White House, the Senate, and bipartisan colleagues in the House to ensure America provides vital humanitarian aid and security assistance for our allies in Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan.”
With the government set to shut down on Nov. 17, both chambers of Congress will have to decide which issue is more worthy of their attention.
