Staff Reports
Senator Marshall Slams Democrats for Blocking Critical Israel Aid Bill
In a fiery press conference on Tuesday, Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) lashed out at Democrats for obstructing his efforts to push the Senate to consider the House’s stand-alone Israel bill. The bill would provide a much-needed $14 billion for Israel’s defense and slice funds from President Joe Biden’s ludicrous Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to splurge on 87,000 new IRS agents. Who in their right mind thinks the IRS needs more agents?
#EXCLUSIVE — Sen. @RogerMarshallMD slams Democrats for blocking Senate from taking up stand-alone Israel aid bill
DETAILS: https://t.co/f0fRnUhCIx https://t.co/f0fRnUhCIx
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) November 14, 2023
“We are running out of time,” Marshall proclaimed, frustration evident in his voice. “If we do not act this week, the earliest aid could be sent is the week after Thanksgiving. That’s a whole 14 days from now! And there are still over 240 hostages, including 10 Americans. Israel needs our help right now, and we do not have the luxury of time to waste!”
The Kansas senator continued passionately, emphasizing the urgency of the situation: “We need to show our allies that America is not a fair-weather friend. We must send a clear message that Hamas’s unprovoked attacks against innocent Israelis will not be tolerated and that we will stand with Israel in their fight.”
Marshall has been relentless in his efforts to persuade Senate leadership to backtrack on supporting Biden’s plan to lump Israel aid with assistance for Ukraine, Taiwan, and U.S. border security. And it’s not just Republicans who are on board with Marshall’s push. House Republicans, who hold the power to block any one-sided bills backed by the president or the Democrat-led Senate, are rallying behind House Speaker Mike Johnson’s suggestion to pass Israel aid separately.
“The media needs to be asking Senate Democrats why they are blocking this stand-alone House-passed, bipartisan aid package,” Marshall demanded. “It’s outrageous that in Israel’s time of need, Democrats are using it as an excuse to fulfill their never-ending desire to send money to Ukraine.”
And he didn’t stop there. Marshall took aim at the Democrats’ narrative, declaring, “Time and time again, they came to the microphone to say Ukraine’s war is the reason Israel can’t get the aid they need right now. But that’s just a weak and pathetic excuse.”
On top of that, Marshall made it clear that Republicans overwhelmingly support Israel aid while some are hesitant about further assistance to Ukraine. He argued that Israel aid should be independent from a larger bill, especially for those who are in favor of helping Israel but opposed to funneling more funds into Ukraine.
He drove his point home on the Senate floor, emphasizing that Ukraine is “a separate, unrelated conflict with no end in sight,” and asserted, “Aid to Israel shouldn’t be held hostage for another blank check to Ukraine.”
But, despite Marshall’s impassioned plea, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) objected, asserting that the United States must fund both Israel and Ukraine together. This kind of pigheaded behavior is what’s preventing progress in Washington, and Marshall is right to shine a light on it.
So, let’s hope that sanity prevails, and Democrats get their act together to support our key ally, Israel, without forcing unnecessary ties to unrelated issues like their obsession with Ukraine.
