Military Aid For Israel: NJ House Members Divided On GOP Proposal

NEW JERSEY — A Republican proposal to funnel $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel without giving any humanitarian aid to Palestinians passed a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. But the federal bill – which saw a split vote among New Jersey’s Congress members – is likely facing a bleak future.

Eight of New Jersey’s House members voted against the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, with four of their peers voting in its favor. The bill passed the full House by a margin of 226-196.

Reps. Andy Kim, Robert Menendez Jr., Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone, Bill Pascrell Jr., Donald Payne Jr., Mikie Sherrill and Bonnie Watson Coleman voted “no” on the bill.

Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Thomas Kean Jr., Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew voted “yes.”

In addition to providing military aid to Israel, the proposal would also make funding cuts to the Internal Revenue Service. Read the full text here.

The bill doesn’t contain funds for Palestinian aid in the Gaza Strip. It also doesn’t have any aid for Ukraine – unlike a separate $105 billion proposal from President Joe Biden’s administration, which likewise includes $14.3 billion for Israel.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said he will not bring the bill up for a vote. Meanwhile, Biden has said he will veto the proposal if it reaches his desk.

The lack of funds for Gaza was cited by some New Jersey Congress members as the reason why they voted no on H.R. 6126.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the bill “unserious and inadequate.”

“Congress needs to swiftly pass security assistance for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and support Ukraine’s efforts against Vladimir Putin’s brutal war of aggression,” Sherrill said.

But this legislation isn’t the way forward, she added.

“Security assistance for Israel has historically been bipartisan and that support continues today – but now, House Republicans are attempting to legislate through MAGA talking points,” Sherrill said.

Instead of addressing global challenges and fighting for democracy as a whole, [House Speaker Mike Johnson] introduced a bill that only includes funding for Israel – without humanitarian aid for the crisis in Gaza – with purported “offsets” that the Congressional Budget Office reports would actually add more than $12 billion to the national deficit and reduce tax revenues by nearly $27 billion, Sherrill said.

Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (NJ-10) said he voted against the bill because it didn’t include humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinian children and families.

Payne said he might have voted for the bill if it had funding for food and water for Palestinian families caught in the crossfire of this conflict, which was included in Biden’s original proposal.

Instead, Republicans want to use the bill to limit America’s ability to pursue tax-cheating corporations and make sure the wealthiest 1-percent of Americans are paying appropriate taxes, Payne charged.

“Financial support for Israel after a terrorist attack should be an easy, bipartisan bill to pass,” the congressman said. “Instead, Republicans are hijacking it to prevent life-saving, humanitarian aid for the innocent Palestinians who are without food and water right now. In addition, they want to fund it with money Americans need to encourage the wealthiest 1-percent of Americans to pay their fair share in taxes.”

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) – who has called for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war – blasted the bill on social media.

“First, this is not how emergency spending is done,” the congresswoman said. “When New Jersey was hit by Superstorm Sandy, causing enormous damage, there were terrible members who objected to helping – but we didn't offset by cutting the Department of Education or some other nonsense.”

Watson Coleman also criticized the provisions that would cut IRS funding, as well as the overall financial impact of the bill.

On the flip side of the coin, Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-4) argued that the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act will paid for by “rescinding funds from the Democrats’ egregiously misguided tax-and-spend Inflation Reduction Act that supercharged the Internal Revenue Service.”

“This critical legislation will help ensure that every weapon system needed to destroy Hamas—including the Iron Dome defense system—is conveyed to Israel in quantities commensurate to the challenge and without delay,” asserted Smith, the co-chair of the Israel Allies Caucus and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“The United States—and all people committed to human rights and the rule of law—must stand with Israel,” Smith said during a recent speech on the House floor in support of the bill.

Kean (NJ-7) said the bill will help to ensure the safe return of American citizens impacted by the attacks on Israel.

“Today the House sent a powerful message that we will stand strong with our ally Israel and its right to defend itself,” the congressman said.

New Jersey’s two U.S. senators have had differing stances on the war.

Sen. Robert Menendez has been unwavering in his support of Israel and its right to “defend itself from the existential threat posed by Hamas,” which he called an “Iran-backed terrorist organization hellbent on destroying Israel.”

After the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution in support of the State of Israel, Menendez said it shows the United States of America “unequivocally” stands with its ally.

“Congress must act swiftly to provide Israel with all the necessary resources to ensure it can properly protect its people, deter Iran’s nefarious efforts in the region, and effectively wipe Hamas off the face of the Earth,” Menendez said.

Sen. Cory Booker, who was visiting Israel at the time of the Oct. 7 attacks, has also said that the nation “has the right and obligation to defend itself against Hamas” – as long as its military follows international law.

However, Hamas’s horrific actions cannot be ascribed to all Palestinians, Booker added in a statement signed by himself and several other U.S. Congress members.

“Indeed, Palestinian residents of Gaza have often been victimized by Hamas,” he said.

“The failure to adequately protect non-combatant civilians risks dramatic escalation of the conflict in the region and imposes severe damage on prospects for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians,” Booker continued. “Based on the consensus opinion of U.S. and international aid officials, it is nearly impossible to deliver sufficient humanitarian aid to protect civilian life under current conditions.”

More than 1,400 Israelis were killed after Hamas launched their coordinated attack on Oct. 7, including civilians and children. Dozens of the deceased are U.S. residents, including some from New Jersey. It’s estimated that nearly 250 Israeli soldiers and civilians were also seized by Hamas and taken into Gaza as hostages. Read More: Hamas Attacks Deadliest Day For Jews Since The Holocaust, Biden Says

Meanwhile, Palestinian authorities said last week that more than 7,000 people have been killed in Gaza due to Israel's retaliatory air strikes – including nearly 3,000 children. Israel has cut off water and electricity in Gaza, raising an outcry from advocates, some of whom have called Israel’s order for Palestinians to evacuate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip an “impossible” task. Read More: Pro-Palestine Protesters March In North Jersey: 'Lift The Siege On Gaza'

The war has seen widely divergent reactions in New Jersey from elected officials, community leaders, and people with loved ones on both sides of the conflict.

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