US legislators renew push for additional aid to Israel after Iran attack

Washington, DC – Ninety lawmakers in the United States Congress have urged House Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter to immediately advance a foreign funding bill that includes $14bn in assistance to Israel.

The letter, sent on Sunday and made public on Monday, followed Iran’s unprecedented attack over the weekend, in which it fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel to retaliate for a deadly attack early this month on its consulate in Syria’s capital, Damascus. “Time is of the essence, and we must ensure critical aid is delivered to Israel and our other democratic allies facing threats from our adversaries around the world,” read the brief letter, which was signed mostly by Democrats but also included Republican lawmakers such as Joe Wilson, the chairman of the Middle East foreign affairs subcommittee in the House of Representatives.

“We urge you to put the Senate Supplemental Aid package on the floor for an immediate vote when we return on Monday.”Separately, Hakeem Jeffries, the highest ranking Democrat in the House, called on fellow lawmakers on Monday to pass the $95bn foreign funding bill, which includes aid to both Ukraine and Israel. In February, the Senate passed the measure but pressure from conservatives in his party has led Johnson, a Republican, to block the measure in the House. For a bill to become law in the US, it must be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president.

“The gravely serious events of this past weekend in the Middle East and Eastern Europe underscore the need for Congress to act immediately. We must take up the bipartisan and comprehensive national security bill passed by the Senate forthwith,” Jeffries wrote in a “dear colleagues” letter, characterising the vote as a “Churchill or Chamberlain moment”.

The Iranian attack on Israel late on Saturday, which caused only minor damage after most projectiles were intercepted, has renewed the push for the House to pass the Senate-approved bill, all but drowning out calls for conditioning aid to the Israeli government over its conduct in the war on the Gaza Strip.

Republicans have sought to uncouple aid to Ukraine from funding for Israel. Alternately, many Republican legislators have also tried to link their domestic policy agenda to the Israeli aid package.