Slotkin opposes supplemental funding bill for Israel

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — U.S. Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin opposed legislation in the U.S. House Thursday to provide funding to Israel.

She called the measure “flawed” in a press statement following the vote.

“Today, I voted against a flawed supplemental spending bill for Israel security,” Slotkin said in a statement. “Instead, I will await the Senate’s emergency aid bill, which I hope the Senate will send to the House as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the House bill misses an opportunity for the majority, with a new Speaker, to demonstrate bipartisan unity in the face of overlapping crises abroad, and at a time when U.S. forces in the region have been subjected to almost 30 attacks.”

The legislation would provide $14.3 billion to Israel. Israel is currently in a war with Hamas in Gaza.

The 226-196 vote fell almost entirely along party lines, with 12 Democrats joining all but two Republicans to move the bill through the lower chamber.

The bill included a provision to cut funding to the IRS but did not address funding needs for Ukraine.

Slotkin, a former CIA analyst, said the House bill fell short for three reasons:

— First, for the first time in history, this bill requires domestic spending cuts to fund emergency response abroad.

— Secondly, this bill does not provide funds to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is dire, and which should be a strategic priority for the United States and Israel.

— Lastly, this bill leaves two other critical partners — Ukraine and Taiwan — on their own at a time when they face challenges that are important to our own security.

Read Slotkin’s full statement:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 2, 2023 Contact: Michael Moynihan, michael.moynihan@mail.house.gov

STATEMENT: Slotkin on Israel Supplemental VoteWASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin (MI-07) released the following statement Thursday:“Today, I voted against a flawed supplemental spending bill for Israel security. Instead, I will await the Senate’s emergency aid bill, which I hope the Senate will send to the House as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the House bill misses an opportunity for the majority, with a new Speaker, to demonstrate bipartisan unity in the face of overlapping crises abroad, and at a time when U.S. forces in the region have been subjected to almost 30 attacks. “As someone who has spent much of their career in national security, I’m voting against this bill for three reasons. First, for the first time in history, this bill requires domestic spending cuts to fund emergency response abroad. Requiring such cuts in response to an emergency request is unprecedented. And in this case, the majority’s stated goal of making the bill budget-neutral is deeply undercut by the fact that the cuts actually increase the deficit, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. “Secondly, this bill does not provide funds to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is dire, and which should be a strategic priority for the United States and Israel. “Lastly, this bill leaves two other critical partners — Ukraine and Taiwan — on their own at a time when they face challenges that are important to our own security. “For all these reasons, this bill falls short. The Senate should send us a strong emergency spending bill as soon as possible, and the Speaker should bring that bill to the floor for a vote. All signs point to it having strong, bipartisan support — the message we should be sending as crises roil around the world.”

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