Title: House Speaker Mike Johnson Pushes for $17.6 Billion Emergency Funding for Israel Amid Border Security Negotiations

In an effort to provide immediate support to Israel during its war against Hamas, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is proposing legislation that would allocate $17.6 billion in emergency funding. The timing is significant as Senate and White House negotiators are expected to release legislative text this weekend for a border security compromise, alongside President Biden's $106 billion supplemental funding request for Ukraine, Israel, humanitarian causes, and other matters.

In a letter sent to his Republican colleagues on Saturday, Johnson expressed his frustration over the exclusion of House GOP members from the negotiations and criticized the slow progress in assisting Israel. Johnson warned that the Senate's failure to include the House in the talks had hindered swift consideration of legislation. Determined to take action, Johnson announced that the House would proceed with a clean, standalone Israel supplemental package next week.

This is not the first time Johnson has advocated for Israel's funding. Earlier, he introduced a standalone bill for approximately $14 billion, which matched the amount requested by President Biden in his supplemental aid package. However, the bill included offsetting the funds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a move that gained support from GOP hardliners. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., dismissed the bill, accusing Johnson of adding a "poison pill" to the Israel aid.

Johnson highlighted that Democrats' objection to the original House bill was primarily due to its offsets, but emphasized that the Senate would no longer have excuses to delay the passage of crucial aid to Israel. He announced that the legislative text for the funding proposal would be released on Saturday afternoon by Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense spending.

Meanwhile, Republicans have demanded stringent changes to border and immigration policies in exchange for supporting funds for Ukraine. Many GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns and signaled potential opposition to the compromise. They have favored the measures in H.R. 2, the House GOP border bill, but Democrats have dismissed it as a nonstarter.

While Johnson and others have called on President Biden to use executive authority to address the border situation, the White House maintains that a legislative solution is necessary. They accuse the House GOP of exploiting the border issue for political gain.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer aims to hold a vote on the Senate's package by Wednesday, striving to find a balance between border security, aid for Ukraine, and emergency funding for Israel. As negotiations and discussions continue, the focus remains on bringing relief to those affected by various crises while addressing ongoing concerns about border security and immigration policy.