Last week, NJDC reported on GOP opposition to the annual foreign aid bill. In some reports about the vote, there was an implication that Republican opposition was due to a portion of the bill dealing with the so-called "Mexico City Policy" (click here for a Washington Post article with an explanation). The bill contained $2.4 billion for Israel.
While the Mexico City issue explains some of reasons for GOP opposition, an NJDC analysis of the floor debate shows that it does not tell the whole story. During the debate, several Republicans complained that too much was being spent on foreign aid, resorting to isolationist arguments about the money being better spent in the U.S.
For years, the annual foreign aid bill has been a top priority of the pro-Israel community. Thus, a potential return to isolationist rhetoric and reasoning on the part of the GOP is problematic.
Also problematic: the votes of 161 House Republicans on an amendment to slash the foreign aid bill by 1% across the board. Had the amendment passed -- as Minority Leader Baener urged -- Israel would have lost $24 million in aid.
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