Republican senators introduce separate Israel aid bill with no Ukraine money

A group of Republican senators on Thursday introduced an appropriations bill to provide military and financial aid to Israel amid its ongoing conflict with the Hamas terrorist group, but that includes no assistance for Ukraine.

President Joe Biden last week delivered a primetime address during which he pitched a plan to the American people on continued aid to Ukraine and attempted to link the two conflicts. He has since put forward a sizeable funding request, including $14.3 billion for Israel and a whopping $61 billion for Ukraine. The inclusion of both in the same package appears to be an attempt to leverage the popularity of supporting Israel to secure funding for Kyiv, on whose cause Americans have largely soured.

Despite an ongoing budget battle, Senate Republicans and the White House appear largely in step on the amount of funding for Israel. The Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023, which five of the upper chamber's conservative lawmakers introduced Thursday, includes exactly the same $14.3 billion. Of those funds, $10.6 billion would go to the Department of Defense to provide aid directly, $3.5 billion would go to foreign military financing, and $200 million would fund diplomatic efforts and serve to protect U.S. embassies and personnel.

GOP Sens. Tommy Tuberville, Ala.; Roger Marshall, Kans.; J.D. Vance, Ohio; Mike Lee, Utah; and Ted Cruz, Texas; introduced the measure. The senators brought the legislation with the explicit goal of separating Israel and Ukraine funding.

"I have voted against additional funding for Ukraine and will continue to do so," Tuberville said in a press release. "The contrast with Israel could not be clearer. Israel is our Number One ally in the Middle East. Israel is killing terrorists who want us dead. I stand with Israel 100 percent, but I do not support sending another dime to Ukraine."

The bill further curtails any aid to the Gaza Strip that could fall into the hands of Hamas, which governs the region.

Since an Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist raid on Israel, the Israel Defense Forces have maintained a steady bombardment of the strip in preparation for a possible land invasion. The raid saw terrorists storm Israeli border towns, seize roughly 200 hostages, and kill more than 1,000 civilians.

The ongoing skirmishes have threatened to trigger a wider war and cross-border exchanges have already occurred between Israel and its northern neighbors, Syria and Lebanon. The U.S. has already dispatched two aircraft carrier groups to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in anticipation of the Israel ground invasion, which may trigger an uptick in rocket volleys.

On the Ukrainian front, Kyiv has largely failed to reclaim significant territory this year despite a massive counteroffensive effort in the nation's South. The Russians have since resumed the offensive and fighting is ongoing around the eastern cities of Kupiansk and Avdiivka.

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