US Democrat warns House Speaker's plan to cut funding in Israel aid package could jeopardize passage

Josh Gottheimer and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz bow their heads during a vigil for Israel on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building on October 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a prominent Jewish Democrat and Israel supporter, warned that the plans by House Speaker Mike Johnson to advance an aid package for Israel and offset it with spending cuts threaten its chances of passage.

Typically, emergency aid packages are not offset by spending cuts and the move to do so could cost Johnson support from Democrats.

Here's Wasserman Schultz's full statement:

“Support for defending Israel should not come with conditions, be it cutting foreign military financing by 30% or offsetting aid in a time of crucial need. I am deeply disturbed by Speaker Johnson playing political games with Israeli emergency funding, something our nation has never done in a time of crisis.

This extreme tactic undercuts our credibility and feeds the absurd notion that America must choose between providing for our neighbors and pushing back against genocidal terrorists who kill and kidnap Israelis and Americans.

We cannot afford to politicize the battle against Hamas and Iran, giving ammunition to anti-Israel extremists around the world.

"When your neighbor’s house is on fire, you don’t haggle over the price of the garden hose. Speaker Johnson's political games are offensive to all pro-Israel Americans, and I hope he reverses course immediately. ”

Some more context: Johnson vowed on Sunday to move forward with a $14.5 billion aid package for Israel when the House returns later this week, according to sources on his first GOP conference call since ascending to the top job.

Johnson’s decision to move a standalone funding bill for Israel, which he told members would be fully paid for, and detach it from Ukraine aid will tee up a showdown with the Democratic-controlled Senate and White House, which prefer to link the two issues, given Ukraine aid on its own faces an uncertain path in the GOP-led House. Johnson told CNN last week he supports Ukraine aid but needs “conditions” on it.