White House calls House GOP’s $17.6B Israel aid bill a ‘cynical political maneuver’

The White House criticized House Republicans on Saturday for unveiling a $17.6 billion bill that would provide additional aid to Israel amid its ongoing war in the Middle East, calling it a “cynical political maneuver.”

The administration specifically criticized the bill, which Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said the House would vote on next week, disparaging GOP lawmakers for singling out aid for only one U.S. ally — as the Senate negotiates on the bipartisan border and aid package.

“For months the administration has been working with a bipartisan group of Senators on a national security agreement that secures our border and provides support for the people of Ukraine and Israel,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement released Saturday. “Just as legislative text is imminent, the House Republicans come up with their latest cynical political maneuver. The security of Israel should be sacred, not a political game.”