Newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson touted aid for Israel as “a matter of good versus evil.”
During a Tuesday appearance on Fox News, Johnson spoke with host Kayleigh McEnany about the House’s upcoming vote on aid for the war-torn Jewish state in the wake of the attack by Islamic militant group Hamas in October.
McEnany asked Johnson if aid for Israel was an area of “common ground” between House Democrats and Republicans in Congress.
“It looks like $14.5 billion is the number that you’re looking at. And you suggest that maybe you’ll get a bipartisan vote here,” McEnany stated.
“I sure hope so,” Johnson replied, adding he hoped to hold a vote on the bill by Thursday.
McEnany followed up on aid for Israel asking if he knew how many House Democrats would join in support of the bill.
“I hope that it’s most or all of them,” Johnson answered. “I mean, there’s a few people who have philosophical differences on that and we’ll have some intense debates about their opposition to that. But, look, this is a matter of good versus evil.”
Mike Johnson to Kayleigh McEnany: "If you put this to the American people and weigh the two needs, I think they will say standing with Israel and protecting the innocent is a more immediate need than IRS agents." (Lost in this is that it doesn't have to be a binary choice.) pic.twitter.com/noqBmtyXRW
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 31, 2023
“My intention and my desire in the first draft of this bill is to take some of the money that has been set aside for the building and the bulking up of the IRS right now,” Johnson said of funds set aside by the Biden administration to expand the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). “We have about $67 billion in that fund and we’ll try to take the $14.5 necessary for this immediate and urgent need.”
“I understand their priority is to bulk up the IRS,” he continued. “But I think if you put this to the American people and they weigh the two needs — I think they’re going to say standing with Israel and protecting the innocent over there is in our national interest.”
Texas Rep. Chip Roy threw support behind a stand-alone aid package for Israel in an X post last week.
To truly #StandWithIsrael, we should swiftly PASS a stand-alone $14BB Israel-only support package… & PAY FOR that support to ensure our own fiscal & military strength… & STOP FUNDING the soulless globalists (UN, e.g.) supporting Hamas, Iran, & our other common enemies… https://t.co/jHGrmccnWf
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) October 27, 2023
“To truly stand with Israel, we should swiftly PASS a stand-alone $14B Israel-only support package,” Roy wrote. “And PAY FOR that support to ensure our own fiscal and military strength … and STOP FUNDING the soulless globalists (UN, e.g.) supporting Hamas, Iran, and our other common enemies.”
Johnson secured Speakership last week with a unanimous 220 votes from House Republicans after nearly a month of in-fighting within the Conference after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was removed from the seat in early October.
