Rep. Cantor: Stop Classifying Israel Aid as ‘Foreign Aid’

'Special Case' Israel Would Be Funded Directly by Military

The ever growing US commitment to throwing massive amounts of foreign aid at Israel is a special case, insists Rep. Eric Cantor (R – VA), and so much so that it shouldn’t even be considered “foreign aid,” which is handled by US State Department. Rather, Cantor wants to see Israel’s subsidy seperated entirely from the State Department, and turned over to the US military directly.

The “why” is somewhat convoluted, but centers around Rep. Cantor’s designs on forming a Republican opposition to foreign aid to a number of nations in the Middle East which “do not operate according to American interest.” This opposition might include voting against the entire foreign aid budget, but so many Congressmen are so in bed with pro-Israel factions that voting against their aid would be a non-starter, hence the need to make it a “special case.”

Which really irks Foreign Operations Subcommittee chairwoman Nita Lowey (D – NY), who insisted that to really, really support Israel officials need to keep the funding in the State Department, and keep the rest of the foreign aid bill sacrosanct as well.

Rep. Lowey warned Cantor that he has a “responsibility” to keep the foreign aid bill protected from Congressional opposition, and that US aid to other nations across the Mideast is vital to aiding Israel as well. The Foreign Aid bill is expected to be somewhere in the realm of $52.8-$54.2 billion next year.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.