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House to vote on standalone Israel funding bill |
The House is set to vote Thursday on a bill to provide $14.3 billion to Israel, teeing up a likely showdown with the Senate. In an effort to offset costs, House Republicans included cuts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the package, a move blasted by Democrats.
The proposal bucks President Biden and Senate leaders from both parties by divorcing Israel aid from funds for Ukraine. Biden requested more than $100 billion from Congress, with $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel and $13.6 billion for border security, among other purposes. Some congressional Republicans are wary of providing more funds to Ukraine. New House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has said he’ll bring it up for consideration, tied to border security measures and separate from funds to Israel. Johnson said Thursday, “Ukraine will come in short order, it will come next.”
In addition to the lack of Ukraine funds, the Israel aid bill’s cut to IRS funding is upsetting Democrats. The Inflation Reduction Act included additional funding for the IRS. The Congressional Budget Office this week estimated the reduction of funds in the Israel bill could reduce the nation’s revenue by $26 billion over the next 10 years. The White House has already pledged a veto should the bill make it to Biden’s desk. |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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‘Space lasers,’ ‘Colonel Sanders’: Republicans clash over censure vote |
GOP Reps. Chip Roy (Texas) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) traded fire Thursday following an unsuccessful push to censure a House Democrat.
Roy was one of 23 Republicans to vote against Greene’s resolution to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American member of Congress, over her criticism of Israel and participation in a protest at the Capitol. After Greene criticized Roy for his vote, Roy responded, “Tell her to go chase so-called Jewish space lasers if she wants to spend time on that sort of thing.”
- Roy was referring to a 2018 post from Greene suggesting a laser or light beam from space solar generators controlled by a wealthy Jewish family might have been responsible for California wildfires.
Green responded Thursday: “Oh shut up Colonel Sanders, you’re not even from Texas, more like the DMV. Chip Roy’s career exist of working for politicians, working for campaigns for politicians, and being a politician himself.”
Roy had said the censure resolution text “made legally and factually unverified claims, including the claim of leading an ‘insurrection.'” |
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Durbin supports cease-fire tied to hostage release
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Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the second-ranking Senate Democrat, told CNN’s Poppy Harlow he supports a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that begins with Hamas’s release of hostages. When Harlow asked about Durbin’s support for a cease-fire considering President Biden‘s avoidance of that term, Durbin said, “I believe that what I said earlier about cease-fire is there are circumstances — for example, the release of those who have been kidnapped as part of it — an indication that this is a good-faith effort on the part of the other side.”
Hamas, which controls Gaza, is holding around 240 hostages from its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to the Israeli military. Several progressives have called for a cease-fire as reported deaths in Gaza have risen and the humanitarian crisis worsens. The Israeli military began its ground offensive in Gaza in recent days.
Related from The Hill: |
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Minnesota Supreme Court hears 14th Amendment case
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© AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty |
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Public ownership of electric utility on Maine’s ballot
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The Hill’s Zack Budryk walks us through an initiative on the ballot next week that could make Maine the first state with a publicly owned electric utility governed by an elected board, a move Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) in nearby Vermont endorsed. |
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Hunter Biden decries ‘weaponization’ of addiction
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In an op-ed published in USA Today, Hunter Biden criticized what he called the “weaponization of my addiction by partisan and craven factions[.]”
He wrote, “The effort of recovery is something that should be celebrated, and I hope that despite my role as the punchline and punching bag for some, others will also make the effort I have made, one day at a time, and get honest with themselves and the people who love and rely upon them.” Read more here.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use disorder, check out the resources available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. |
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“How to safeguard democracy from AI disinformation — in 2024 and beyond” — Trevor Potter, president and founder of the Campaign Legal Center and a Republican former chairman of the Federal Election Commission. (Read here)
“Why we need more vaccines to achieve more vaccinations in the war against COVID” — Edward Kelley, former director of integrated health services for the World Health Organization who helped lead WHO’s response team to the COVID-19 pandemic. He now leads global health for Apiject. (Read here) |
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Friday: President Biden hosts leaders from the Western Hemisphere for the inaugural Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit. |
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