Bid to Boost Aid to Israel Could Be Stalled by Govt Shutdown

Sen. Schumer plans to block votes until shutdown ends

Increasing US military aid to Israel is usually one of the safest votes in Congress. This week’s plan to pass such a resolution could be stalled indefinitely, however, because of the government shutdown.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is planning to push a procedural vote on Tuesday that would keep the Senate from considering any bills until they vote on a House-passed bill to end the government shutdown.

This vote is intended to put pressure on the administration to resolve the shutdown, and is likely the answer to President Trump saying last week that the shutdown could last months or even years.

The bill itself is intended to authorize $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel, and extend the US War Reserve Stockpile in Israel by five years, adding another $1 billion to the stockpile, and urging the president to focus on munitions Israel would want to use in a war against Hezbollah.

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.