Senate blocks House GOP's Israel aid bill with matching IRS cuts

The Senate on Tuesday voted to table a measure from House Republicans to provide Israel with emergency aid while cutting the budget of the Internal Revenue Service.

The vote passed on party lines, The Hill reported. The bill cleared the lower chamber earlier in November in a 226-196 vote. The measure would have provided Israel with $14.3 billion in support amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza while imposing matching cuts on the IRS to offset the expense.

Twelve Democrats in the House joined with most Republicans to advance the plan, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had called a "deeply flawed proposal." Schumer, for his part, had supported pairing emergency aid to Israel with additional funding for Ukraine. But Republicans hope to pair Ukraine funding with appropriations to bolster border security amid an unprecedented surge in illegal crossings.

Senate Republicans earlier this month unveiled a litany of demands to pair Ukraine aid with border security, which Schumer rebuffed as a "total non-starter."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.