Hamas is still holding a significant number of Israeli citizens hostage (not to mention several Americans) after months in captivity. But last night, Chuck Schumer and every Senate Democrat decided to hold the entire nation of Israel hostage. Barely 72 hours after Iran hammered Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles, the Democrats voted to block a military aid package for Israel. They offered the usual excuses, but the message was clear. The security of Israel does not matter to them. This is somewhat ironic, particularly since that message is coming from the most senior Jewish member of the American legislative branch who proudly stood up and declared that we must all stand together in support of our Israeli allies after the terror attacks of October 7. (Reuters)
U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a Republican effort to win quick approval for a bill providing emergency aid to Israel that passed the House of Representatives last week, but that provides no assistance for Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Republican Senator Roger Marshall said: “Time is of the essence and it’s imperative that the Senate not delay delivering this crucial aid to Israel another day,” he said.
Democrats objected, stressing the importance of providing aid to Ukraine as well as Israel, in addition to humanitarian aid, border security funding and money to push back against China in the Indo-Pacific that was in a $106 billion funding request President Joe Biden sent to Congress last month.
The Democrats are insisting that there be no aid for Israel until another massive infusion of cash is ladled out to Zelensky and the Ukrainian government. Schumer and his friends are doing this despite the fact that Speaker Johnson is already working on an aid package for Ukraine and another for Taiwan as well. They are apparently unhappy that the GOP wants additional funding for Ukraine to come in the form of loans rather than handouts. Ironically, the money for Israel would be spent almost entirely in the United States to purchase new munitions and military supplies, while the cash going to Kyiv would basically disappear down a rathole.
Schumer further kvetched about the GOP insisting that the cash be at least partially made up for by cuts elsewhere. In this case, there would have been reductions to the bloated IRS budget. The Democrats obviously smell a political opportunity in the air, but they aren’t reading the room very well in this instance. Support for a surge in IRS funding is a very divisive issue around the country and the popularity of endlessly funneling cash to Ukraine has faded considerably. Conversely, support for assistance to Israel is quite broad, with only a slim but highly vocal group of pro-Hamas activists opposing it.
The contrast between the two wars in question is stark and should illuminate this foreign aid debate. Ukraine is bogged down in a war that it is currently losing or, at best, faces a stalemate against a nuclear superpower. Israel is defending itself in a war it should be able to win, fighting a despotic sponsor of terrorism that is hovering on the verge of attaining nuclear weapons. Iran faces unrest at home and the potential for internal revolt. Russia is a malignant force on the world stage, but Vladimir Putin’s control of his nation remains as solid as a rock.
This is an embarrassing historical moment for the United States Senate. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are holding a gun to the head of Israel while demanding something that is already on the way, even if it’s not in the precise form they are demanding. American foreign policy under the Biden administration has been a disaster from beginning to end, but now our other allies must be watching this dog and pony show and questioning America’s reliability as an ally. All of this is playing out as the new axis of evil continues to grow and profit. The contrast between Bibi Netanyahu and Joe Biden is stark, and America is not the nation that comes off looking more noble or reliable at the moment. It’s truly growing painful to watch.
