Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need For Bipartisanship To Pass A National Security Aid Package And House Republicans’ Unserious Proposal That Unnecessarily Politicizes Aid To Israel

Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on House Republicans' unserious aid package that omits aid to Ukraine and humanitarian assistance to Gaza, does not fund the Indo-Pacific, and politicizes aid to Israel. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

On Monday, Speaker Johnson and House Republicans released a totally unserious and woefully inadequate package that omitted aid to Ukraine, omitted humanitarian assistance to Gaza, had no funding for the Indo-Pacific, and made funding for Israel conditional on hard-right, never-going-to-pass proposals. What a joke.

Yesterday afternoon, President Biden issued a veto threat on the GOP proposal, and it’s no wonder why: it needlessly politicizes aid to Israel, it balloons the federal deficit.

Here, the House is talking about needing a pay-for to reduce the deficit – and they put in a provision that actually increases the deficit. Why? Because they don't want their super-rich, mega-wealthy friends to be audited by the IRS, like every other citizen is. As we know when Donald Trump was president, he almost exempted them from auditing: someone making $40,000 a year had a greater chance of being audited than someone making $4 million a year.

It's amazing that the main focus, as the world is in crisis in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in the Indo-Pacific, House Republicans are spending more time trying to further reduce taxes of those who don't pay much tax at all.

So I’m so glad that President Biden issued a strong veto message. I’d urge every House Republican, every House Democrat, every Senate member, to read the President's veto message. It's strong and well thought out and he talks about it politicizing aid to Israel, ballooning the federal deficit, and failing to address the national security threats America faces around the globe, particularly on need to help Ukraine, provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, and help in the Indo-Pacific.

So the House GOP proposal is not going to go anywhere. It’s dead before it even is voted on.

The Speaker should start over, this time without terrible partisan poison pills, this time sitting down with Democrats and working this issue through.

Israel has suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history. It needs help, but House Republicans’ asking price for helping them is cutting off funding that holds rich tax cheats accountable.

That ain’t happening, House; it ain’t happening.

Now, Speaker Johnson says that this supposed pay is needed because of his concern about the national debt,  but, as I mentioned, every independent estimate shows this partisan bill raises the deficit by billions of dollars. So, what hypocrisy.

It’s not responsible – it’s reckless.

It’s utterly baffling that at a moment that demands maximum bipartisanship, when the country is in crisis, and our friends in Israel and Ukraine are in crisis, that the House GOP is instead trying to pick an egregiously partisan fight over wealthy tax cheats.

Years back, both parties would have come together for the good of the country and the good of security in the world when crises like this happen. But the House GOP continuing the kind of recklessness, the kind of inability to get their act together, continues to do these kinds of things.

Their proposal is simply not a serious one, and worse, it still wastes precious time at a moment when we need to help Israel, Ukraine, and send humanitarian aid to Gaza ASAP.

All friends of Israel should loudly and clearly say that any move to make the US-Israel relationship a partisan one, as the House is doing, is a move that hurts Israel. That is what they do, unfortunately: harm our partnership with Israel by politicizing their aid package.

I urge Speaker Johnson, quickly change course Speaker Johnson, because this stunningly unserious proposal of his is not going to be the answer. It’s not going anywhere.

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