October 9, 2023
How is the US going to respond to the assault on Israel by Hamas? Well, we got ourselves a little problem.
There is no Speaker of the House and in order for the US to send Israel the additional aid it needs –if it becomes necessary — there has to be a functioning Congress. And today, we don’t have one. Now – the President has already taken some actions that are within his power to assist Israel – which I’ll tell you about in a second but first…
As I have been reporting – the house cannot conduct any legislative business without an elected Speaker. That includes any potential aid package for Israel. The President and both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have said could be necessary.
In fact – the former Speaker of the House said today – whatever it takes — the u-s must stand with Israel.
Now – the President has already surged military resources to the area including providing some specific weapons systems to Israel that they’ve requested and has sent the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the area. As Commander in Chief, he can do that without congressional approval. The Defense Department says this move is not meant to put US boots on the ground in this conflict but to show a visible sign of support for Israel and make it “very clear to adversaries – like Iran or others who may want to get involved and escalate the violence – that they should think twice.”
But back to the money part – the aid part.
In case you’re wondering in fiscal year 2023, the US allocated a total of about $4 billion in annual defense and non-defense aid to Israel. ($3.8 b for foreign military finance/missile defense + $98.58 million cooperative defense and nondefense programs). That’s just a small portion of the $38 billion that the US has promised Israel for military aid over 10 years. When it comes to foreign aid – Israel is one of the countries that received the most aid from the United States.
But that annual allocation is probably not going to be enough. And that’s where Congress – especially the House – comes in. Depending on how long this attack lasts — we will likely see the President ask Congress for some sort of emergency aid package for Israel. But there has to be a Speaker to get that request to the floor for a vote.
The current official candidates for Speaker are Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Steve Scalise of Louisiana. But today, Representative Kevin McCarthy — the guy who used to have the job and said he would not run again – said he was now open to it.
House Republicans are meeting tonight and will likely meet again tomorrow so they can find one person in their party who can actually get the votes to be Speaker. That person will then be officially nominated on the House floor, there will be a vote of the full House and if that person can get the majority of the votes of those present, he will be the next speaker. That’s all expected to happen this week – possibly as soon as Wednesday.
US aid to Israel FY 2023 here.
US aid to Israel historical numbers here.
Watch former Speaker of the House discuss Israel here.
