House moderates unveil own foreign aid bill as Senate plan languishes

The sums allocated to the foreign nations are discernably lower than those in the Senate aid package, when includes $95 billion in aid and no border security provisions.

By Ben Whedon

Published: February 16, 2024 4:36pm

A group of moderate lawmakers on Friday announced a spending package to provide for border security reforms as well as aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, in a bid to present a more palatable alternative to the Senate foreign aid package.

The "Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act" would provide $47 billion for Ukraine, $10 billion to Israel, $5 billion for Taiwan and the surrounding area, and an additional $2 billion for U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Middle East, according to The Hill.

"Securing one’s borders is necessary to preserving one’s democracy and, therefore, necessary to maintaining world order and world peace," said Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus that helped to draft the bill. "As the world's oldest and strongest democracy, the United States' primary responsibility must be to secure its own borders. But we also have an obligation to assist our allies in securing their borders, especially when they come under assault by dictators, terrorists, and totalitarians."

The sums allocated to the foreign nations are discernably lower than those in the Senate aid package, when includes $95 billion in aid and no border security provisions. Under that plan, Ukraine would get $60 billion, Israel $14 billion, and the Indo-Pacific $4.8 billion. It would also include $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza, Ukraine, and the West Bank. House Speaker Mike Johnson has flatly rejected foreign aid without border security reforms.

Notably, the legislation unveiled Friday includes several border reforms that Republicans have sought, including a "remain in Mexico" provision that would revive former President Donald Trump's policy for one year. It would further require the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to close the border to inadmissible arrivals should they deem it necessary to secure the border. The provisions do, however, fall short of Republican-sought reforms.

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