The measure made for a tricky vote for many pro-Israel Democrats, who were eager to support the Jewish state at a time of crisis but reluctant to embrace a bill that omits help for Ukraine and humanitarian aid and takes aim at their domestic policy priorities. Leading Democrats including Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, made the case privately on Thursday for Democrats to oppose the bill.
Representative Jared Moskowitz of Florida vented on social media this week that the legislation was intended to be used against Democrats тАЬas a future political mailer. тАШYou chose the I.R.S. over Israel.тАЩтАЭ He said he would not take that bait and would support it, but that the bill would be dead in the Senate.
тАЬI will support Israel,тАЭ he wrote.
Several pro-Israel Democrats said they objected to the legislation because it represented the first time the Congress tried to put conditions on emergency aid.
Representative Brad Schneider of Illinois said that тАЬin my worst nightmares, I never thought I would be asked to vote for a bill cynically conditioning aid to Israel on ceding to the partisan demands of one party.тАЭ
тАЬI also never thought that a day would come that I would be asked to consider voting against an aid package for Israel, our most important ally in the Middle East, and maybe in the world,тАЭ Mr. Schneider said.
He continued: тАЬBut I cannot support the terribly flawed, weak and dangerous bill Speaker Johnson and the Republicans have on the floor today.тАЭ
The bulk of the money in the G.O.P. measure is meant to help Israel replenish and bulk up its weapons systems, including $4 billion to replenish the Iron Dome and DavidтАЩs Sling missile defense systems. It also includes $200 million for the protection of U.S. personnel and evacuation of U.S. citizens. It leaves out humanitarian aid for Gaza, which Mr. Biden has requested and many Democrats regard as crucial.
тАЬIt provides Israel with the aid it needs to defend itself, free its hostages and eradicate Hamas, which is a mission that must be accomplished,тАЭ Mr. Johnson said at a news conference. тАЬAll of this while we also work to ensure responsible spending and reduce the size of the federal government to pay for that commitment to our friend and ally.тАЭ
Mr. Johnson said he did not attach the spending cuts тАЬfor political purposes,тАЭ but because House Republicans were тАЬtrying to get back to the principle of fiscal responsibility.тАЭ
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday that the spending cuts laid out in the bill would actually increase the deficit by $12.5 billion over the next decade because the measure would reduce revenue collections.
Mr. Johnson appears to have structured the Israel legislation in an effort to keep his conference, which is deeply divided over funding foreign wars, united in the early days of his speakership. His predecessor, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was ousted after he passed two bills тАФ one to avert the nationтАЩs first default on its debt and the other to avert a shutdown тАФ that did not have majority backing from his House Republicans.
